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Robot Assists In Prostate Removal Surgery

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Sep 16, 2008 9:14 pm US/Mountain

Robot Assists In Prostate Removal Surgery

Reporting
Kathy Walsh
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DENVER (CBS4) ―

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This year, prostate cancer is expected to claim the lives of at least 28,000 men. It's the second most common cancer in America after skin cancer, but it's also considered one of the most curable if caught early.

CBS4's Kathy Walsh looked at a unique treatment for prostrate cancer during Prostate Cancer Awareness Week.

Some of the treatments include radiation, hormone therapy, freezing the cancer cells and surgery. The there is also one operation done with the help of a robot.

Former CBS4 weatherman Ed Pearl is 58 years old, healthy and fit. So it was surprising when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He checked into the Urology Center of Colorado to have the cancerous gland removed.

"I want a solution, live a normal life," Pearl said.

"I think Ed has a great chance of being cured," Dr. Stephen Ruyle with the Urology Center of Colorado said.

Removing the prostate is often done through a large incision in the abdomen, but Ruyle operated through just five dime-sized cuts and with the help of a robot called Da Vinci. He sat at a console a few feet away from Pearl. A miniature camera, placed through one incision, allows him to see a 3-D image of the inside of the body. He controlled tiny specialized surgical instruments.

"I have to put my thumb and index finger through two loops and I manipulate the robotic arm so it only does what I do and it mimics my motion," Ruyle said.

The doctor's hands never touched the patient.

"I actually tell patients I think I do a little bit better job with the robot, certainly I see much better, the magnification on the camera is about ten-fold what it would be with my eyes," Ruyle said.

Not only is there better precision and dexterity for the surgeon, there are benefits for the patient.

"Shorter stay in the hospital, less blood loss, back to your usual routine faster," he said.

It takes about 2 hours to remove the prostate and then attach the bladder and urethra.

After about 400 such surgeries, for Ruyle, Da Vinci has become an art form.

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