March 13, 2005
Less invasive surgery is the way to go for prostate
cancer, say some of the nearly 300 men at a reunion
Saturday at St. Vincent's Hospital.
They are among 500 men who have had prostate surgery
performed by a robot controlled by a surgeon.
"The procedure was first performed in Detroit
in 2000, and we have done it here since 2002,"
said Dr. Vipul Patel, director of minimally invasive
surgery for Urology Centers of Alabama. He also is
affiliated with St. Vincent's.
Patel said a robot, making five small incisions, can
remove a cancerous prostate with less anesthesia,
less blood loss and need for transfusion. Patients
have a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery than
when an 8- to 10-inch incision is made.
David Norris, 54, of Gardendale was the first St.
Vincent's patient to have the robotic surgery about
2½ years ago.
He said that when the benefits of the procedure were
explained to him, his decision was a simple one.
"Let's go for it," he said.
David E. Smith Jr., 62, from Charlotte, N.C., said
he researched the procedure on the Internet after
his urologist told him he needed the surgery.
"I wanted a place that had a lot of experience,"
he said.
And when he learned that nearly 500 men had undergone
the surgery at St. Vincent's, he came to Birmingham.
"They kept me overnight, and then I stayed four
days in the lodge" before going home, Smith said.
