Laparoscopic Surgery

Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is a promising new technique that enables surgeons to remove the prostate gland without making a large incision. A laparoscope is inserted through the navel, which provides surgeons with a lighted and magnified view of a man's abdominal area. Then, microsurgical instruments are inserted through four or five other small incisions made on each side of the abdomen. Through these incisions, surgeons remove the prostate, sometimes using robotics to assist them.



The advantages of laparoscopic surgery are that it requires a shorter hospital stay than open surgery, usually about two nights, and that recovery is generally faster. Also, blood loss is reduced as is post-operative pain.

The disadvantages are related to the newness of the technique. Surgeons and hospitals may be relatively inexperienced in laparoscopic surgery when compared to traditional surgery, and this procedure may be available only in select medical centres. More important, information on the long-term efficacy of this surgery is not yet available. Another possible limitation is that this method may be less effective than open prostatectomy when it comes to removing lymph nodes to assess cancer spread.

Related information: TV broadcasts about laparoscopic prostate surgery from the Krongrad Institute, Florida, a private clinic. "Close-up View of Robotic Surgery for Prostate Cancer," Webcast from Thomas Jefferson University of Philadelphia Hospital of a robotically assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Available through Google