Robotic Surgery

Taking Care of You

Dr. Carpenter is experienced in minimally invasive surgical approaches to a wide spectrum of urological diseases from cancers of the prostate and kidney cancer to benign conditions of the urinary tract such as ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Laparoscopy and robotic surgery are considered minimally invasive compared to traditional open surgery where a much larger incision is made. The benefits to the patient are many and include less pain, decreased blood loss, and quicker recovery. Today the majority of major urologic surgeries can be performed by a laparoscopic or more often robotic approach.
Laparoscopic surgery is a surgical approach whereby the abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide to create a “working space.” This is in contrast to conventional open surgery where a larger incision is required to expose the surgical field to the open air. A small 1 cm camera lens is then inserted into the abdomen to visualize the internal organs. The operating instruments are then inserted through even smaller incisions to perform the necessary surgery.
Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery, which became available in more recent years, builds on the benefits of laparoscopy, while significantly enhancing the surgeon’s ability to see and perform careful dissection. This breakthrough is one of several factors that give robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery an advantage over standard laparoscopy. In addition the da Vinci surgical system is armed with a highly sophisticated camera that produces a three-dimensional high-definition live video image of the operative field for the surgeon.