Radical Prostatectomy

Radical Prostatectomy
Radical Prostatectomy

This surgery is indicated in men with organ-confined prostate cancer. The aim is to remove the whole prostate to achieve the best possible cure. This can be done either with open surgery or laparoscopic method, the trend now being the robotic-assisted laparoscopic method using the da Vinci robot. Laparoscopy offers faster recovery with less pain and less blood loss. The added advantage of the robotic method is that the surgeon has a 3-dimensional, magnified view of the prostate, with superior instruments and dexterity to dissect the prostate and achieve watertight stitching of the bladder to the urethra after the prostate is removed. Radical prostatectomy surgery takes between 3 to 4 hours. Hospital stay is 5 to 7 days for open surgery, and 3 days for laparoscopic and robotic methods.

Complications include:

  • urine leak. This results in excess drainage and cause pain and abdominal distension. The leak should seal with time.
  • urinary incontinence. This may take up to a year for the continence to recover, although it is usually earlier with the robotic method.
  • impotence. This is dependent on the age of the patient and whether the delicate nerves that pass beside the prostate gland have been spared.