Dr. Facundo Davaro, MD

During the procedure, the surgeon inserts the laparoscope, which contains a light and camera that allows the surgeon to see what is happening inside the body. Then tiny tools are placed through the small openings and used to perform the surgery.

The most common laparoscopic surgery is gallbladder removal, but laparoscopic surgery may also be used for the removal of a kidney or appendix, to treat certain cysts and tumors, for bariatric surgery, for some GERD treatments, or for hernia repairs, among others.

Because laparoscopic surgery only uses a few tiny incisions, the scars are minimal and recovery is easier than with open surgery.

While incisions for the laparoscopic and robotic approaches will always be on the lower abdomen, there are two possible incision locations for the open procedure. More commonly, the cut will start just below the belly button and end at the pubic bone. The other possible but less frequently used incision location is the area between the base of the scrotum and anus. After the cut is made, the surgeon will separate the prostate from the tissues surrounding it. Extra care will be taken to cause as little injury as possible to the blood vessels and nerves. Patients will wake up from surgery with a small pouch that drains fluids from the belly and a long tube that drains urine from the bladder.

Radical prostatectomy is recommended for cancer that is contained within the prostate. If cancer has spread to other parts of the body, non-surgical treatments like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or hormone therapy may be more appropriate.

The average hospital stay is one day for a laparoscopic or robotic radical prostatectomy, and one to three days for an open radical prostatectomy. Patients are advised to stay in bed until the morning following the operation. Strenuous activities like running and heavy lifting must be avoided for four to six weeks. Although radical prostatectomy aims to remove all of the cancer cells, patients will still need to see their doctor regularly after surgery to make sure that the cancer does not return.