(KERO) — According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. And in some cases, they may require surgery to remove the prostate which could cause prolonged urinary or functional problems. But a relatively new robotic procedure may be able to help with that.
Doctor Jihad Kaouk is a urologist at Cleveland Clinic and one of the first surgeons in the country to perform this procedure.
"Most recently a purpose-built robot was introduced, a new generation of robots that have one cannula, so one cut. Through that comes all the instruments and camera. So only one cut in the belly of the patient to perform the surgery of removing the cancerous prostate."
Dr. Kaouk says there are some key differences between this and other procedures.
For example, the single-incision robot goes in through the bladder which makes it easier to focus the surgery to just where the prostate and disease are located. He says by entering through this location helps to minimize the individual's pain and quicken their recovery.
They also no longer need narcotics after surgery and may have a significantly shorter time dealing with bladder control issues.
The Cleveland Clinic has performed more than 50 cases to date.
