Da Vinci Prostate Surgery

Learn about minimally invasive options for prostate surgery with da Vinci.

Take care of what’s important

There are several conditions that may prompt your doctor to recommend prostate surgery. They can range from benign (noncancerous) conditions to malignant (cancerous) conditions. Experts estimate that benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) affects 5% to 6% of men ages 40 to 64, and 29% to 35% in men ages 65 and older. BPH is the most common prostate condition in men older than age 50¹. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among American men, affecting about one in eight men.²

It’s important to learn about the many care options available. You and your doctor can discuss your choices and decide which approach is right for you. On this page, you’ll find information on prostatectomies, how they are performed, questions you can ask your doctor, and how to find a surgeon who performs prostate surgery with da Vinci surgical systems.

Diagram showing radical prostatectomy surgery

What is a radical prostatectomy?

A radical prostatectomy is surgery to remove your prostate gland and nearby tissue as well as any lymph nodes, if necessary.

Diagram showing simple prostatectomy surgery removing enlarged inner prostate tissue

What is a simple prostatectomy?

A simple prostatectomy is surgery to remove the enlarged inner portion of the prostate gland to relieve urinary symptoms caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The outer prostate remains intact.

Da Vinci prostatectomy

Your prostate surgery options
Surgeons can perform a prostatectomy through open surgery or using a minimally invasive approach. Traditional open surgery requires a long incision in your lower abdomen. During open surgery, the surgeon looks directly at the surgical area through the incision and operates on the prostate gland using hand-held tools.

Less invasive surgical approaches explained
There are two minimally invasive approaches to prostate surgery: laparoscopic surgery and robotic-assisted surgery, possibly with da Vinci technology. Both minimally invasive surgical options require a few small incisions that doctors use to insert surgical instruments and a camera. In laparoscopic surgery, doctors use special long-handled tools while viewing magnified images from a laparoscope (camera) on a video screen.

Surgeon's hands navigating the system controls

A closer look at robotic-assisted surgery
Robotic-assisted prostate surgery can be performed using da Vinci technology. The da Vinci system is a tool used for minimally invasive surgery, but it does not treat cancer.

The da Vinci system makes it possible to perform surgery through a few small incisions with our multiport system or through a single incision with our single port system.

How your surgeon uses the da Vinci system
With the da Vinci system, your surgeon sits at a console near you in the operating room. The console enables your surgeon to control a camera and the instruments used to perform your surgery.

Precision technology in the operating room
The system delivers 3D high-definition vision, giving your surgeon a crystal-clear view of the surgical area magnified 10 times what the human eye sees. It translates every movement your surgeon makes in real time, moving and rotating instruments that move like a human hand, but with a greater range of motion.

Over 20 million procedures have been performed with da Vinci surgery worldwide, and is now commonly used for many operations.³

It’s important to remember that Intuitive does not provide medical advice. After discussing all options with your doctor, only you and your doctor can determine whether surgery with the da Vinci system is appropriate for you. You should always ask your surgeon about his or her training, experience, and patient outcomes.

About the da Vinci system

Ask your surgeon about their robotic surgery outcomes

Every surgeon's experience is different. Be sure to talk with your surgeon about the surgical outcomes they deliver using the da Vinci system. For example, ask about:

Length of hospital stay
Complication rate
Rate of returning to the hospital within 30 days of surgery
Reoperation rate
Transfusion and/or blood loss
Chance of changing to an open procedure
Length of operation
Mortality rate

There are additional surgical outcomes you may want to talk about with your doctor. Please ask to discuss all important outcomes. Every surgery involves risk and you can read more about those associated with prostatectomy.

Questions you can ask your doctor

What medical and surgical options are available for me?
Which is best for my situation?
What are the differences between open, laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted surgery?
If I am a candidate for a prostatectomy, how can I prepare for it?
Can you tell me about your training, experience, and patient outcomes with da Vinci?
How will I feel after surgery?
What does my recovery care plan look like?
How do I help my incisions heal well?

Find a surgeon

Frequently asked questions

Why prostate surgery with da Vinci systems?

Whether your doctor has recommended prostate surgery for cancer or a benign (noncancerous) condition like an enlarged prostate, the da Vinci system is an option for minimally invasive surgery—making it possible to perform surgery through a few small incisions with our multiport system or through a single incision with our single port system.

The da Vinci system gives your surgeon:

3D high-definition vision magnified 10× beyond the human eye
Wristed instruments that flex and rotate with a greater range of motion than the human hand, enabling precise dissection

What is a simple prostatectomy, and how is it different from a radical prostatectomy?

A simple prostatectomy removes only the inner, enlarged portion of the prostate while preserving the outer capsule. It is typically performed for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in men with significantly enlarged prostates.

Additional Resources

Prostatectomy brochure

See detail about prostatectomy with da Vinci systems in our brochure designed for patients and their families.

Download

Da Vinci system overview

Learn more about da Vinci system technology and more about robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery.

Learn more

What to expect

Explore what happens on the day of surgery with the da Vinci system and tips for planning and preparation.

Learn more

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. National Library of Medicine. Web. June 2024.

Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer. American Cancer Society. Web. 10 December 2024.

Data on file at Intuitive.

Disclosures and important safety information

Important safety information

Patients should talk to their doctor to decide if surgery with a da Vinci system is right for them. Patients and doctors should review all available information on nonsurgical and surgical options and associated risks in order to make an informed decision.

Serious complications may occur in any surgery, including surgery with a da Vinci system, up to and including death. Serious risks include, but are not limited to, injury to tissues and organs and conversion to other surgical techniques which could result in a longer operative time and/or increased complications.

For important safety information, including surgical risks and considerations, please also refer to www.intuitive.com/safety.

Individuals’ outcomes may depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to patient characteristics, disease characteristics, and/or surgeon experience.

Da Vinci Xi/X system precaution statement
The demonstration of safety and effectiveness for the representative specific procedures did not include evaluation of outcomes related to the treatment of cancer (overall survival, disease-free survival, local recurrence), except for radical prostatectomy which was evaluated for overall survival, or treatment of the patient’s underlying disease/condition. Device usage in all surgical procedures should be guided by the clinical judgment of an adequately trained surgeon.

Medical advice and locating a doctor
Patients should talk to their doctor to decide if da Vinci surgery is right for them. Other options may be available and appropriate. Only a doctor can determine whether da Vinci surgery is appropriate for a patient’s situation. Patients and doctors should review all available information on both non-surgical and surgical options in order to make an informed decision.

Surgeons who perform surgery using the da Vinci system can be found using the Physician Locator. Intuitive Surgical provides surgeons with training on the use of the da Vinci system but does not certify, credential or qualify the surgeons listed in the Physician Locator.