Cirugía robótica en el cáncer de próstata: el robot Da Vinci

Robotic surgery is the most developed surgical technology that currently exists in the field of surgery. It consists of carrying out the operations assisted by a robot, which makes the surgeon who uses it more precise and achieves better oncological results, also reducing the side effects that any surgery entails.

Currently the robotic system called Da Vinci is used. A system that began to be used in the year 2000, but from which different models and updates have been developed, until reaching the "X" version approved in 2017 and used nowadays.

What applications does robotic surgery have with the Da Vinci robot?

It is mainly used in the field of urology, either in radical prostatectomies for prostate cancer or renal interventions for kidney cancer.. In recent years, it is true that its use is generalizing, and it is also using gynecologists, digestive surgeons and even in otorhinolaryngology interventions.

What advantages does this type of surgery offer compared to other more conventional techniques?

Mainly provides greater precision to the surgeon who uses it, being able to be more precise when performing a certain technique. It also allows a better visibility of the surgical field, thanks to the systems of magnification of image and visualization in 3D, what allows to see and differentiate anatomical structures that otherwise we would not see. All this results in a more precise surgical procedure and in obtaining better results after the intervention.

Robotic surgery in prostate cancer: the Da Vinci robot

All the advantages mentioned above are especially relevant when performing surgery on the prostate. This is an organ located in a location especially difficult for any other surgical technique. Likewise, it is a small organ in which it is important to differentiate different nervous and vascular planes to reduce the sequelae that until recently involved a surgery of this nature on this organ.. Thanks to robotic surgery, all these difficulties can be overcome and the surgeon is able to perform a careful and meticulous surgical technique.

What does this procedure consist of?

Through the use of a robot, through small incisions of less than one centimeter in the abdomen, the surgeon removes the prostate and then restores the union between the bladder and urethra in the space that previously occupied this. It is a procedure that lasts about two hours in which the patient is asleep under the effects of a general anesthetic.

How is the time after the intervention? When can the patient recover his habitual life and his routines?

Thanks to a more meticulous dissection and a more precise surgery, the patient's recovery is much faster than with other techniques, being the usual that the patient can be at home just 48 hours after the intervention.. After the first week since the intervention, the patient is already able to perform most of the tasks that he had previously performed, being completely recovered around the month of the intervention.

For more information about the Da Vinci robot and the applications of robotic surgery consult a specialist in Urology .