When I began my training in Urology, robotics was a brand new field. The vast majority of our prostate cancer surgeries were done with a traditional open approach. By the time I completed my training, I was performing about half of my prostate cancer surgeries with robotic assistance. Now, roughly 85% of prostate cancer surgeries done in the USA are done robotically, and that number is likely to continue to rise.
Robotic surgery has many advantages, such as less blood loss and improved visibility. Many believe the long term outcomes to be better but the science behind that assumption is only now materializing. Using a large cancer registry, Hu et al have recently published a study looking at over 13,000 men and concluded that robotic surgery is, in fact, superior to open surgery. Patients undergoing robotic surgery were less likely to need second line cancer treatments than patients undergoing open surgery.
This study gels with my own personal experience. As one of the few Urologists equally trained in robotic and open surgery, my robotic outcomes have now outpaced my open outcomes. Because of these improved outcomes, I now perform robotic surgery almost exclusively. With the recent release of the latest daVinci Xi robot (which I just sat down for a test run today) we should continue to see improved outcomes as this technology continues to rapidly advance.
Robotic surgery has many advantages, such as less blood loss and improved visibility. Many believe the long term outcomes to be better but the science behind that assumption is only now materializing. Using a large cancer registry, Hu et al have recently published a study looking at over 13,000 men and concluded that robotic surgery is, in fact, superior to open surgery. Patients undergoing robotic surgery were less likely to need second line cancer treatments than patients undergoing open surgery.
This study gels with my own personal experience. As one of the few Urologists equally trained in robotic and open surgery, my robotic outcomes have now outpaced my open outcomes. Because of these improved outcomes, I now perform robotic surgery almost exclusively. With the recent release of the latest daVinci Xi robot (which I just sat down for a test run today) we should continue to see improved outcomes as this technology continues to rapidly advance.
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