Robotically Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy

Doctors have successfully performed a robotically assisted radical prostatectomy at the Henrico Doctors' Hospital (Richmond, VA, USA). They state that the minimally invasive treatment for cancer can improve visualization during surgery, reduce postoperative pain, and shorten hospital stay without compromising the oncologic result. Two of the surgeons involved traveled to France to train with surgeons at the Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, who developed the new technique.

The robotic system utilizes tiny computer-enhanced mechanical wrists controlled by the surgeon from a viewing and control console in the operating room. These specialized instruments transfer the surgeon's hand movements to pencil-sized microsurgical instruments, eliminating any tremor. The system also provides a high-resolution 3-D color image of the surgical field, an improvement over the traditional two-dimensional view of traditional laparoscopic procedures. The robotic system used in this procedure was the da Vinci robotic surgical system, from Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (Mountain View, CA, USA).

"The use of the da Vinci system dramatically enhances accuracy in the deconstruction, removal, and reconstruction phases of the surgery,” noted Dr. Sam Graham, Henrico Doctors' Hospital, who assisted in the surgery.



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