Facing any kind of urologic surgery creates a great deal of anxiety for most men. Among your concerns is: “Will my body function normally following surgery?” Traditional open urologic surgery – in which large incisions are made to access the pelvic organs – has been the standard approach when surgery is warranted. Yet common drawbacks of this procedure include significant post-surgical pain, a lengthy recovery and an unpredictable, potentially long-term impact on continence and sexual function. Fortunately, less invasive surgical options are available to many patients facing urologic surgery. The most common of these is laparoscopy, which uses small incisions. While laparoscopy can be very effective for many routine procedures, limitations of this technology prevent its use for more complex urologic surgeries.

A new category of surgery, introduced with the development of the da Vinci® Surgical System, is being used by an increasing number of surgeons worldwide for prostatectomy and other urologic procedures. This minimally invasive approach, utilizing the latest in surgical and robotics technologies, is ideal for delicate urologic surgery. This includes prostatectomy, in which the target site is not only tightly confined but also surrounded by nerves affecting urinary control and sexual function. Using da Vinci, your surgeon has a better tool to spare surrounding nerves, which may enhance both your recovery experience and clinical outcomes.

Referred to by many as robotic surgery for prostate cancer or robotic prostatectomy, da Vinci® Prostatectomy is more accurately a robot-assisted, minimally invasive surgery that is quickly becoming the preferred treatment for removal of the prostate following early diagnosis of prostate cancer. In fact, studies suggest that da Vinci Prostatectomy may be the most effective, least invasive prostate surgery performed today.

Though any diagnosis of cancer can be traumatic, the good news is that if your doctor recommends prostate surgery, the cancer was probably caught early. And, with da Vinci® Prostatectomy, the likelihood of a complete recovery from prostate cancer without long-term side effects is, for most patients, better than it has ever been.

Recent studies suggest that da Vinci® Prostatectomy may offer improved cancer control and a faster return to potency and continence. da Vinci® Prostatectomy also offers these potential benefits:

• Significantly less pain
• Less blood loss
• Fewer complications
• Less scarring
• A shorter hospital stay
• And a faster return to normal daily activities

For many patients approaching surgery, it is often difficult to visualize what is entailed in a specific surgical procedure. To give prospective da Vinci® Prostatectomy patients a better understanding of the advances made by robotically-assisted minimally invasive surgery, Intuitive produced the following video presentation. This video offers a three-dimensional simulation of the male reproductive anatomy, the enabling technology—the da Vinci® Surgical System—and the procedure itself.

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