Vattikuti Institute prostatectomy: surgical technique and current results

The Vattikuti Urology Institute has been developing a robotic prostatectomy system for the management of prostate cancer. This technique is based on the scientific foundations of Walsh's anatomic prostatectomy. Two hundred fifty patients with clinically localized prostate cancer have undergone this technique. Preoperative, operative, and postoperative parameters were collected, and functional outcomes using previously validated quality-of-life instruments were evaluated. The mean operating time for these patients was 2.5 hours (165 and 135 minutes with and without lymphadenectomy, respectively), and the average blood loss was 150 mL. The median specimen Gleason score was 7, and the mean tumor volume was 7 mL. Four patients had a positive surgical margin (three unifocal, one multifocal). Ninety-five percent of the patients were discharged within 23 hours, and the mean catheterization time was 4.2 days. The complication rate was 4%. Approximately 78% of the patients had intact erectile response and 96% achieved continence by the sixth month after surgery. The robotic prostatectomy system is a safe and effective operation for the management of prostate cancer.