prostate-report.org

Advantages and also certain complications related to minimally invasive radical prostatectomy

New research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston indicates that the use of minimally invasive procedures (including the use of robotic assistance) for radical prostatectomy (MIRP), which have increased significantly in recent years, may shorten hospital stays and decrease respiratory and surgical complications, but may also result in an increased rate of certain complications, including incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

MIRP in particular with the use of robotic assistance, has increased from 1 percent to 40 percent of all radical prostatectomies from 2001 to 2006, according to background information in the article. But this rapid increase has occurred despite limited data on outcomes and greater costs compared with open retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP; surgery in which an incision is made in the lower abdomen to remove the prostate, which is located in the pelvis behind the pubic bone).

Authors presented the findings of the study at a JAMA media briefing in Chicago.