What are Robot-Assisted Urologic Procedures?

• Cardiac Procedures

• Laparoscopic Procedures

• Robot-Assisted Surgery—Overview

• Thoracic Procedures

Examples of urologic surgeries that have been successfully done using this technique include:

• Prostatectomy —to remove part or all of a prostate gland found to contain prostate cancer
• Pyeloplasty —to repair an abnormality of the kidney and nearby ureter (tube that leads from the kidney to the bladder)
• Cystectomy —to remove all or part of the bladder to treat bladder cancer
• Nephrectomy —to remove all or part of the kidney because of kidney cancer, kidney stones, or kidney disease
• Ureteral reimplantation—to disconnect and reinsert the ureter from the bladder to keep urine from flowing backwards from the bladder into the kidneys
• Procedures requiring fine dissection and suturing (eg, reconnection of the ureter)

Compared to more traditional...

Possible Complications

Complications are rare, but no procedure is completely free of risk. If you are planning to have a robot-assisted urologic procedure, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:

• Damage to neighboring organs or structures
• Infection
• Bleeding
• Anesthesia-related problems
• The need to switch to traditional surgical methods (eg, traditional laparoscopic or open surgery)

Some factors that may increase the risk of complications include:

• Pre-existing heart or lung condition
• Advanced age
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Use of certain medicines

Be sure to discuss these risks with your doctor before the procedure.

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