Robotic prostate surgery was developed and perfected by Mani Menon, M.D., and his team at the Vattikuti Urology Institute. The Vattikuti Urology Institute has performed more than 5,000 robotic procedures. We have more experience performing robotic prostatectomy than any other surgical team in the world. Today, we are the only institution routinely offering a catheter-free approach to robotic prostatectomy.
Eight years ago, Dr. Menon and his team were among the first in the world to perform prostatectomy using the da Vinci® Surgical System. They developed the Vattikuti Institute Prostatectomy (VIP), which has become the industry standard. Since that time, all major advancements in the field of robotic prostate surgery have come out of the Vattikuti Urology Institute.
When choosing a center, it is important to know which surgeons have the best results. The Vattikuti Urology Institute offers:
Catheter-free Recovery One of the biggest complaints about prostate surgery is discomfort from the urethral catheter. To address this issue, Dr. Menon has developed a surgical technique that eliminates use of the catheter. Urine is drained instead through a small tube, much like an IV tube, through the abdomen. The response from patients has been truly remarkable. When given the choice, 98 percent of our prostatectomy patients prefer this option. More than 800 of our patients have undergone this procedure, giving us the largest patient experience with this technique. Make sure you ask us if this option is right for you.
Better Prostate Cancer Outcomes Of all robotic programs in the world, the Vattikuti Urology Institute has the longest-running study and the most definitive outcomes data. Increased surgical precision with the da Vinci® Surgical System allows us better accuracy at removing cancer. When the cancer is removed totally, there is no PSA remaining. The earliest sign that there may be a cancer recurrence following prostatectomy is the presence of PSA in the blood. On average, PSA will return about 10 years before cancer recurrence is even detected in a bone scan or MRI. In our experience, up to eight years following robotic prostate surgery, less than five percent of 4,000 patients had a detectable PSA in their blood. To our knowledge, these are the best results that have been achieved in the world.
Preserved Sexual Function The Veil of Aphrodite Nerve-Sparing Procedure, developed at the Vattikuti Urology Institute, is a new technique that results in significantly better erectile function. Of patients with no pre-existing erectile dysfunction who underwent a robotic radical prostatectomy incorporating this new nerve-sparing technique, 97 percent achieved erections strong enough for intercourse and 85 percent reported that their erections were normal. The potency outcomes with the Veil are the highest reported to date. While individual outcomes may vary, these results should help ease men's concerns as to the future of their sexual potency when facing prostate removal.
Return to Urinary Continence The Vattikuti Urology Institute followed more than 2,700 men after they had a robotic prostatectomy at Henry Ford Hospital. Within three weeks, 93 percent reported continence and after one year, more than 95 percent were continent. Only a few patients reported any urinary leakage, just a few drops, after one year.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association compared the effectiveness of a minimally invasive radical prostatectomy to an open approach. Dr. Mani Menon has responded to the study to clarify how those results compare with the outcomes patients can expect at the Vattikuti Urology Institute. Read his response.
