Intraoperative Imaging Blog

A prostatectomy, or removal of the prostate, is considered a major surgery requiring several days’ stay in the hospital. An additional three weeks of home rest is advised before returning to work.

Pain Management in the Hospital
1. After the surgery, you will receive pain medication through an IV. Many hospitals allow you to control your own dosage of pain medicine by using a special remote control. Each time you press the button, a dose will be released.

Pain Management at Home
2. The doctor will prescribe a pain medication for you to take once you’re at home.

Catheter
3. When you wake up from surgery, a catheter will be in place to drain the urine from your bladder. The catheter will be connected to a bag attached to your leg. You will be required to continue using the catheter for a week or two after the surgery.

Abdominal Drain
4. You will also have an abdominal drain that allows excess fluid to drain from your pelvic area. It is usually removed before leaving the hospital.

Prostate cancer surgery is known as radical prostatectomy and involves the removal of the entire prostate gland, as well as the seminal vesicles, the portion of the urethra that passes through the prostate, the ends of the vas deferens and a portion of the bladder neck.

Early History
According to Peter T. Scardino, chairman of the Department of Urology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in 1867 German surgeon Theodor Billroth was the first to remove a cancer-ridden prostate. In 1904, the “father of American urology,” Hugh Hampton Young, performed the first prostate cancer surgery in the U.S.

Later History
The technique that led to today’s procedure was introduced in 1945 by Irish surgeon Terence Millin. Patrick Walsh performed the first erectile nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy in 1982. Readmore…

A prostatectomy involves the surgical removal of some or all of the prostate gland, typically involving prostate cancer. There are many types of this type of prostate surgery.

Prostate Transurethral Resection
1. In this procedure, a cystoscope is sent to the prostate and prostate tissue is removed. This type of prostatectomy is most commonly performed on benign prostate cancer, and outcomes are reported as quite high for those undergoing the procedure.

Open Prostatectomy
2. This operation involves a skin incision and removal of the prostate through the prostatic capsule or bladder. It is most commonly used on large prostates.

Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy
3. Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy involves four small incisions in the abdomen, whereupon the entire prostate is removed. Readmore…