ABSTRACT
In October 2000, the Vattikuti Urology Institute committed to apply minimal invasive surgical approaches toward radical prostatectomy. Initially, we performed laparoscopic prostatectomies based on the anatomic radical prostatectomy described by Walsh (1) and the Montsouris laparoscopic radical prostatectomy technique (2). Subsequently, we modified the operative approach to incorporate robotic technology using the da Vinci® surgical systema starting in March 2001 (3) (Table 1). Robotic technology provides the surgeon with an unparalleled surgical tool, which offers threedimensional, magnified visualization, wristed instrumentation and scaling of movement. As of July 2004, we have performed over 1200 robotic prostatectomies. Currently, many urology programs have established robotic programs and are routinely performing robotic prostatectomies (4-7). The initial technique has undergone numerous modifications (8,9).
