If your loved one is facing a prostatectomy for prostate cancer, he probably has plenty of questions and concerns: Will it hurt? Will it leave a scar? How long will I be in the hospital? How long will it be until I get back to my normal activities? Thanks to the da Vinci surgical robot, the answer to all these questions is: Less than ever before.

“Almost all our prostatectomies now are performed using the robotic approach,” says Christopher Amling, M.D., director of UAB’s Division of Urology. With the da Vinci robot, UAB surgeons are able to perform laparoscopic surgery with tiny incisions and minimal effects on surrounding healthy tissue. The surgeon’s movements are scaled down and translated into precise movements by micro-instruments that operate within a remarkably small area. The surgeon controls the robot via a magnified three-dimensional display that offers a clearer view than the actual operating table.

The result is a prostatectomy with fewer complications and side effects than the traditional approach. “Recovery is quicker,” Dr. Amling says. “There is less time in the hospital, because instead of operating through an incision in the lower abdomen, we operate through tiny holes, which cause less pain and allow patients to get back to full activity faster. There’s less blood loss associated with the procedure, so the need for a blood transfusion is essentially zero, compared with maybe as high as a 20 percent chance in men who have an open surgical approach.” The smaller incisions also mean less risk of infection and less scarring.