What is Robotic Surgery For Prostate Cancer?

It almost sounds like an episode of the old cartoon that was set in the the year 2062, The Jetsons. Imagine Rosie the Robot performing a prostrate operation on George. Well, robotic surgery for prostate cancer is now a reality. At least, that's what they are calling it, but it is not exactly what it sounds like. The procedure is done by a doctor operating a remote controlled device.

It's a minimally invasive alternative to traditional prostate surgery. It employs the use an high tech, upgraded laparoscopic device. Patients usually give the procedure positive feedback. This is a trend you can bet you will see more of.

You may be surprised to learn that robotic assisted surgery is hardly a new phenomenon. In fact, it's not unusual for a surgeon to have performed thousands of these operations, starting in the 1990's. (The earliest robotic assisted operation was in 1985.)

The actual machinery is named the da Vinci surgical system. It allows the prostate to be operated on, or removed without having to open the patient's body, like most surgeries. Four small holes are made that allow tiny instruments to enter and do the work.

The sturdiest human hand has micro tremors, but the da Vinci system compensates, creating tremor free execution. Combined with the better than naked eye vantage point of the camera, and the precision tools, tissue from nearby areas is left unmolested.

"The bloodless prostrate surgery," is what this is sometimes referred to, due to the minimal blood loss. Patients report a lot less overall hurting than would be expected in a normal operation, and the amount of time to get back to normal is also greatly accelerated.

Other patient-pleasing benefits of this procedure, over the open prostate surgery, is the usual ugly scar is not a factor. There are only four little, round pocks. The normal method has a some rather displeasing side effects that the newer surgery doesn't induce. There's no mystery as to why minimally invasive procedures consistently receive more positive patient feedback.

To give you an idea of how less invasive the robotic operation is, it is not uncommon for patients to walk out several hours after the procedure was performed. Most patients are able to leave the hospital the next day.

Robotic surgery for prostate cancer is not the only surgery of its kind. There are similar operations done in the fields of; General surgery, Cardiothoracic, Cardiology, Electrophysiology, Gastrointestinal, Gynecology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pediatrics and Urology.

So what about Rosie the Robot? Is she ever going to get a chance to perform surgery? If you look at all the advancements that have been made in your lifetime alone, it might be wise not to bet against her. Just a handful of years ago, May, 2006, a robotic system that is now known as, "the first artificial intelligence doctor," performed a surgery, under its own control, on a guy in his mid 30's who had a case of heart arrhythmia.

The designer of the robot said that due to the ten thousand similar operations it had in its database, it was more than qualified to do the job. In fact, the outcome was rated better than if the surgery had been done by "the average surgeon". The designer went on to predict that fifty percent of all surgeries within ten to fifteen years, will be performed by robotic units under their own control.

Chris Hilton is a cancer researcher based in Singapore at the moment & he also maintain a website Breast Cancer Blog [http://www.prostate-cancer-blog.org] that allow all the industry experts around the world to contribute the newest finding about Prostate Cancer. Learn more about the various treatment available at [http://www.prostate-cancer-blog.org/?s=treatment]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Hilton