Robotically assisted radical prostatectomy. A case report.

Robotics has been commonly employed in numerous industrial fields for sever al decades. However the application of this technology to surgery is a rece nt innovation. It provides new possibilities for facilitating specific surg ical tasks, especially in the field of laparoscopy. We report a case of lap aroscopic radical prostatectomy completed with the help of a remotely contr olled da VinciTM robot. This system offered a user friendly surgical platfo rm and enhanced surgical dexterity. Operating time was 420 minutes and the hospital stay was 4 days. The bladder catheter was removed after 3 days. On e week later the patient was fully continent. Pathologic examination showed a pT3a tumor with negative margins. Robotically assisted laparoscopic radi cal prostatectomy is feasible. Further developments in this field of techno logy may have new applications in laparoscopic telesurgery.