Prostate The gold standard treatment option for men under 70 with early-stage, organ-confined cancer is surgical removal of the prostate using nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy. The primary goal of prostatectomy is removal of the cancer. A secondary goal is to preserve urinary function and -- when applicable -- erectile function. Preservation of the nerves necessary for erections can be an extremely important goal for patients. These nerves run alongside the prostate and are often damaged when removing the prostate. A nerve-sparing prostatectomy attempts to preserve these nerves so that the patient may be able to return to his prior erectile function. Types of Prostatectomy Approaches to this procedure include traditional open surgery, conventional laparoscopic surgery, cryotherapy and da Vinci Prostatectomy, which is a robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Traditional open procedure Your surgeon uses an 8-10 inch incision to access the prostate. While this approach often works well, it often results in substantial blood loss, a lengthy, uncomfortable recovery and a risk of impotence and incontinence. Cryotherapy Cryotherapy is an effective yet minimally invasive alternative to more traditional surgery and radiation therapy. It uses slender probes called cryoprobes to freeze and destroy cancer tumors and the surrounding tissue. In most cases, cryotherapy is a Medicare covered procedure and can be performed on an outpatient basis. Attend our free prostate cancer seminar to learn more. Conventional laparoscopy Conventional laparoscopy involves a specialized surgical camera and rigid instruments to access and remove the prostate using a series of small incisions. This approach provides your surgeon with better visualization than an open approach. In addition, it provides patients the benefits of a minimally invasive procedure. Despite these advantages, conventional laparoscopy relies on rigid instruments and standard 2D video, technical limitations than can be challenging for the surgeon. Because of these drawbacks, conventional laparoscopy often doesn't lend itself well to complex procedures like prostatectomy. Therefore, very few urologists use this approach for prostatectomy. Moreover, neither laparoscopy nor open surgery can provide adequate visualization for a very precise, nerve-sparing prostatectomy. Read more about da Vinci® Prostatectomy , the least invasive approach to prostatectomy. |
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