Radical Prostatectomy

A radical prostatectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a cancerous prostate and certain surrounding tissue. The surgery may be performed as an open surgery or by robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery.

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery is one of the latest advancements in minimally invasive treatment options for prostate cancer. The da Vinci Surgical System used at NorthShore allows surgeons to perform a prostatectomy using dime-sized incisions. For most patients, this minimally invasive approach results in significantly less pain, less blood loss, shorter recovery periods and a quicker return to normal daily activities.

The da Vinci Surgical System consists of an ergonomically designed console at which the surgeon sits, a mobile patient-side cart with four interactive robotic arms, a high-resolution 3D vision system and robotically wristed instrumentation. The System is designed to seamlessly translate the surgeon’s hand movements into corresponding micro-movements of the miniaturized instruments positioned inside the patient. The instruments have more range of motion than the human hand, and a 3D camera delivers a highly magnified view of the operative field, enabling the surgeon to perform delicate tissue dissection and suture with added precision, even in confined spaces.