Prostatectomy Surgery

Prostatectomy surgery

        Prostatectomy surgery is a surgery in which part or all of the men's prostate gland is removed. Usually this procedure is used to treat prostate cancer. One should know that prostatectomy surgery can be performed only on men as only they have a prostate gland.

       There are several types of prostatectomy surgery: radical prostatectomy this is when all the prostate gland is removed. The radical prostatectomy can be opened or laparoscopic. Another type of prostatectomy is robotic prostatectomy. In this case the surgeon performs the surgery with the help of a robot. Prostate surgery can also be partial. In this case only a part of the prostate gland is removed. The surgery can be performed with a laser which destroys the tissue.

       From all types of prostatectomy the most painful and from which the patient has a difficult recovery with high chances of developing infections is the open radical prostatectomy. This type of prostatectomy surgery implies large incisions and a cut underneath the pubic bone. At the opposite pole is robotic prostatectomy. This surgery has all the possible advantages.

        The patient experiences less pain, the incisions are very small, the patient does not need a blood transfusion as the patient is not likely to lose blood, and the patient recovers very fast and can resume his normal life. The most important thing is that this type of prostatectomy protects the prostate nerves and the males' sexual functions. This thing is not applied to open prostatectomy. Another advantage would be that the patient can leave the hospital in 2 days.

        During the robotic prostatectomy the surgeon uses a da Vinci platform in order to operate. This is more comfortable for the surgeon, he has better visibility, flexibility, and he can rotate the image or make it bigger. Robotic prostatectomy is performed by a highly trained surgeon.

       Laparoscopic prostatectomy is performed with the aid of a laparoscope. The surgeon operates through 5 incisions in the abdomen. In case of this prostatectomy surgery the patient does not require a long period of hospitalization.

       Prostatectomy surgery is performed on men with o good general condition who do not suffer from heart conditions and who can stand anesthesia. The operation is performed under general anesthesia and requires 15 days of hospitalization, this in case of open radical prostatectomy. The recovery in case of prostatectomy surgery depends on what type of prostatectomy was performed. For example in open surgery the recovery takes much longer than in robotic prostatectomy or laparoscopic prostatectomy.

       It has been proved that 83% of the patients who chose this kind of treatment in their fight with cancer survive 10 years more than those who choose other means of treatment.