What Is Prostate Removal Surgery?

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.

• Prostate cancer is a leading disease affecting men.

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.

Older Techniques

• There are two common open surgery procedures. A large abdominal incision for easy access to the pelvic lymph nodes is used in the retropubic approach. A perineal prostatectomy removes the prostate through an incision in the perineum.

Newer Techniques

• Whatever approach is used, radical prostatectomy requires deep invasion of the abdomen, though there are two techniques that are somewhat less invasive. Laparoscopic prostatectomy uses a series of tiny incisions with visuals provided by a small telescopic instrument. The newest form of surgery is the da Vinci Surgical System, a robotic-assisted prostatectomy.

Side Effects

• Urinary incontinence, bleeding, infection, impotence and infertility are some of the side effects associated with radical prostatectomy.