The fear of incontinence is often a key factor in a patients decision for or against prostatectomy. Dr. Ashutosh Tewari, director of Robotic Prostatectomy and Outcomes Research, and Dr. E. Darracott Vaughan, emeritus chairman of the Department of Urology and The James J. Colt Professor of Urology, have developed a procedure that takes only an additional two to five minutes to rebuild the anatomy of a prostatectomy patient to improve urinary continence. "We reconstruct the major anatomical players controlling urinary continence," says Dr. Tewari. "The technique entails no extra cost and very little added time in the operating room, although surgeons would have to be trained, of course."
Dr. Tewari will be presenting his research (MP20, May 21, 8:00 a.m.10:00 a.m.) showing that after 16 weeks following surgery, 95 percent of the 50 patients who received the new procedure achieved full continence, according to findings published in a recent issue of the journal Urology.
Robotic surgery has also been shown to improve another common side effect of prostatectomy -- erectile dysfunction. Dr. Tewari will be presenting a video (VID06, May 22, 1:00 p.m.3:00 p.m.) and poster (MP01, May 19, 1:00 p.m.3:00 p.m.) demonstrating the use of robotic surgery to spare nerves controlling erection, in addition to a live demonstration of robotic prostatectomy, transmitted live from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to the conference in Anaheim, Calif.
Robotic Surgery for Bladder Removal
POD10, May 20, 10:00 a.m.12:00 p.m.
Robotic prostatectomy has been well demonstrated, but now, Dr. Douglas Scherr, clinical director of Urologic Oncology, extends the use of robotic surgery for cancerous bladder removal. Dr. Scherr has shown that use of a robot for cystectomy -- bladder removal -- is safe and shortens the required period of hospitalization as well as overall patient recover
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Contact: Andrew Klein
ank2017@med.cornell.edu
212-821-0560
New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College
21-May-2007