Earlier this year, the University of Kentucky Hospital was the first hospital in Kentucky to perform a minimally invasive, coronary artery bypass graft using surgical robotic instruments.
Today, UK Hospital announced the state’s first laparoscopic radical prostatectomy utilizing robotic instruments from the beginning to the end of the surgical procedure. Stephen Strup, M.D., associate professor of surgery and director of Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery, Division of Urology , UK College of Medicine, performed the procedure using the da Vinci® Surgical System, developed by Intuitive Surgical.
On Feb. 6, 2004, Tony Curtsinger, age 64, of Lexington, was the first patient in Kentucky to undergo a laparoscopic radical prostatectomy utilizing the robotic system surgical system. A laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to remove the prostate in order to treat prostate cancer.
“Robotic technology is an excellent addition to the minimally invasive surgical program at UK,” Strup said. “The addition of the robot will allow us to continue to expand our minimally invasive program for prostate surgery as well as other urologic procedures.”
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States with approximately 40,000 dying of it each year. Prostate removal is the most common procedure performed on men with prostate cancer and is typically performed through large, open surgical incisions, which often result in lengthy and uncomfortable patient recovery.
“Traditional radical prostatectomy procedures often result in lengthy and uncomfortable patient recovery. At UK Hospital, surgeons now are able to perform this procedure through smaller incisions, significantly reducing the patient's pain, blood loss, and recovery time,” said Robert Mentzer Jr., M.D., the Frank C. Spencer Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery, UK College of Medicine.
The procedure is performed under general anesthesia and usually requires from two and a half to four and a half hours to complete, depending upon the patient’s anatomy. Surgeons make an incision from just below the umbilicus (“belly button”) to the pubic bone to approach and remove the prostate.