When your non-cancerous, enlarged prostate problems have not responded to non-surgical treatments, you may be a candidate for the da Vinci Robotic minimally invasive procedure. The medical term for this condition is benign prostatic hyperplasia and is referred to as BHP. The procedure to remove a part of the prostate is called a simple prostatectomy. If the entire prostate is very large and needs to be entirely removed, the procedure is called a radical prostatectomy. Depending on your personal medical history, your prostate symptoms, your physical health, and your age, your Glendora General Surgeon will determine how much of your prostate will need to be removed.
Before your surgery date, you will be instructed on how to prepare for the operation, what prescription or over-the-counter medications you may be currently taking that you will need to stop before the surgery, how to prepare your home for your recovery period, what limitations there will be on physical activities, when you can return to your normal routine, what dietary changes may be needed, what medications you may need for pain or discomfort during the healing process, and when to schedule follow up office appointments. Depending on your individual operation, it may be 6 to 8 weeks for you to fully recover.
Prostatectomy Procedure
Before the operation begins, you’ll be given a general anesthesia so that you will be asleep during the surgery and will not feel any pain. After you are asleep, your surgeon will make several small incisions in the area of your lower belly. Then the da Vinci robotic arms will insert a small surgical tube that contains a camera in one of the incisions and surgical tools are placed in another cut. Your surgeon controls the robotic arms using a remote console to guide the instruments to the surgery site. Once the prostate gland is in view, it will be completely or partially cut away with a scalpel or other surgical instrument, and the excised tissue or gland will be removed through one of the cuts in the skin.
