Urologic Robotic Surgery

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men not involving the skin. Often, men won’t notice any health problems, as prostate cancer tends to grow slowly. The treatment for prostate cancer is dependent on the patient’s specific diagnosis. Your physician will work with you to determine your best treatment option.

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is the most common robotic surgery performed at MedStar Health. During the procedure, the prostate gland and the seminal vesicles are removed. This treatment is highly precise, contributing to its reputation as the standard of care for prostate cancer surgery.

The bladder is a hollow muscular organ located in the lower part of the abdomen that collects and stores urine from the kidneys until it is passed out of the body. Typically, blood in the urine is the first indication of bladder cancer. However, bladder cancer may also cause a constant urge to urinate —even when the bladder is empty. These symptoms may also be related to non-cancerous conditions. For this reason, if you experience any of these symptoms, it is important to speak with your doctor.

Robotic-assisted cystectomy is a minimally invasive surgical method for treating bladder cancer. This procedure offers patients with bladder cancer the prospect of a more effective surgery and fewer problems during recovery. Minimally-invasive, robotic technology allows surgeons to make smaller incisions, which spare vital but delicate, nerve and muscle tissue. Following a robotic cystectomy procedure, patients experience a shorter hospital stay, fewer complications, and a faster recovery time.

The treatment for bladder cancer is dependent on your unique diagnosis. Your physician will work with you to decide what treatment will offer you the best outcomes.

Each year, more than 50,000 individuals are diagnosed with kidney cancer. For many, kidney cancer is discovered when imaging procedures are performed for other conditions. For some, abdominal pain, back pain, or anemia may indicate the presence of kidney cancer.

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy delivers the efficacy of open surgery with a safe method for removing small renal tumors while preserving surrounding kidney tissue. Using a near-infrared camera and a benign tracer injected into the blood, surgeons can see the blood supply to the kidney and tumor and differentiate cancerous tissue from normal kidney tissue. This allows for better control of the kidney's blood supply, potentially less injury to the area surrounding the kidney, and limits the risk of leaving any tumor behind.

This minimally invasive technique leaves patients with less discomfort and allows them shorter hospital stays, earlier return to daily activities, and smaller incisions.

There are benign conditions of the upper urinary tract that may require surgical reconstruction. These conditions include ureteropelvic junction obstruction and ureteral obstruction.

Ureteropelvic junction obstruction is a condition where a blockage occurs where the ureter (the tube that drains urine from the kidney to the bladder) and the kidney meet. This blockage may cause urine to build up in the kidneys.

Robotic-assisted laparoscopic pyeloplasty is a minimally-invasive procedure used to repair congenital or acquired narrowing or scarring of the ureteropelvic junction. During pyeloplasty, the obstruction is removed, and the urinary tract is then reconstructed. Damage caused by the build-up of fluid pressure is repaired before the ureter and kidney are sutured back together.

This minimally invasive procedure incorporates the same efficacy and safety as open surgery with less pain after surgery, a shorter hospital stay, and earlier return to work and daily activities.

Ureteral obstruction may be acquired when a blockage in the ureter prevents urine from passing easily from the kidney into the bladder. Additionally, a ureteral obstruction may occur due to the ureter being damaged during abdominal surgery or after gynecologic surgery.

If the ureter is damaged, it may be possible to reattach the ureter to the bladder with ureteral reimplantation. Our state-of-the-art da Vinci^® robotic surgical system allows our surgeons to perform a precise, minimally invasive procedure through a few tiny incisions with enhanced vision, dexterity, and control.