The Procedure

On the left, red line indicates location of incision for open prostatectomy. On the right, red dots indicate locations of port sites for laparoscopic incisions.

1. For this procedure, five small incisions ("keyholes") 5 to 12 mm long are placed into the lower abdomen.
2. The abdominal cavity is insufflated or filled with several liters of carbon dioxide gas to create a working space to perform the surgery.
3. A telescope connected to a camera and several working instruments are passed through the keyholes. This allows the surgeon to have an enlarged view of the inside the body through a video headset on the surgeon console that will guide him through the procedure.
4. The prostate and seminal vesicles are freed from surrounding organs (including the bladder, urethra, rectum and neurovascular bundles, when appropriate), removed through a small incision and placed in a sterile retrieval bag for the pathologist to evaluate for an accurate diagnosis.Depending on your PSA, Gleason's sum and clinical stage, pelvic lymph nodes may also be removed to evaluate for spread of cancer (metastasis).

Typically, the length of the operation is two hours and the pathology report is ready in five to seven working days.

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