Robotic Prostatectomy

Radical Prostatectomy is the most common treatment chosen by men in Australia for treatment of localised prostate cancer. It involves removal of the entire prostate along with the attached seminal vesicles and part of the vas deferens.

For those considering surgical treatment for localised prostate cancer, robotic radical prostatectomy employs state of the art technology to maximise the chance of cancer cure, along with continence and potency recovery through minimally invasive surgery. At present more than 85% of radical prostatectomies in the United States are performed robotically. Dr Coughlin, Dr Esler and Dr Yaxley perform robotic prostatectomy at the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane, Queensland.

There is currently a growing body of evidence in peer reviewed medical literature to support the use of robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. In both population based medicare studies [1] and comparitive studies [2,3] Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy has been shown to have the following advantages when compared to open radical prostatectomy:

Advantages of Robotic Surgery

• reduced blood loss and reduced need for blood transfusion
• reduced inpatient stay
• reduced rate of post-operative complications
• reduced rate of post-operative anastomtotic strictures (scarring which causes obstruction to passing urine)
• reduced post-operative pain [4]
• quicker physical recovery [5]

References:
1. Hu JC, Hevelone ND, Ferreira MD etal: Patterns of Care for Radical
Prostatectomy in the United States From 2003 to 2005. J Urol 2008; 180: 1969.
2. Ficarra V, Novara G, Artibani W etal: Retropubic, Laparoscopic, and Robot-Assisted RadicalProstatectomy: A Systematic Review and Cumulative Analysis of Comparative Studies. Euro Urol 2009; 55:1037.
3. Coelho RF, Chauhan S, Palmer KJ etal: Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy: a review of current outcomes. BJU Int 2009; 104:1428
4. Tewari A, Srivasatava A, Menon M etal: A prospective comparison of radical retropubic and robot-assisted prostatectomy: experience in one nstitution. BJU Int 2003;92:205–10.
5. Miller J, Smith A, Kouba E,etal: Prospective evaluation of short-term impact and recovery of health related quality of life in men undergoing robotic assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy versus open radical prostatectomy. J Urol 2007;178:54–9.

Robotic Kidney Surgery

Our surgeons perform Robotic Partial Nephrectomy, Robotic Radical Nephrectomy and Robotic Pyeloplasty.

Traditional open surgery on the kidney is done through a large flank incision. Robotic Surgery for kidney conditions uses the tried and true techniques of open surgery and applies them to a robotic-assisted, minimally invasive approach. The operations are usually performed with 4 or 5 small ‘keyhole’ incisions.