Prostatectomy includes a number of surgical procedures to remove part or all of your prostate gland. This gland is situated in the lower abdomen of men, below the urinary bladder. It is most often done to treat localized prostate cancer. It can also be used to treat a blocked urethra caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), an enlargement of the prostate glands.

During robotic surgery
Your surgeon sits at a remote control console a short distance from you and the operating table and precisely controls the motion of the surgical instruments using two hand-and-finger control devices. The console displays a magnified, 3-D view of the surgical area that enables the surgeon to visualize the procedure in much greater detail than in traditional laparoscopic surgery. The robotic system allows smaller and more precise incisions, which, for some people, promotes faster recovery than traditional open surgery does. The robotic approach also enables nerve-sparing techniques that may preserve both sexual potency and continence in the appropriately selected person. Robotic prostatectomy can result in reduced pain and blood loss, reduced tissue trauma, a shorter hospital stay, and a quicker recovery period than a traditional prostatectomy.