Prostate Cancer 

The enabling technology: da Vinci Surgical System

The da Vinci Surgical System is powered by state-of-the-art robotic technology. The system allows your surgeon's hand movements to be scaled, filtered and translated into precise movements of micro-instruments within the operative site.

The da Vinci System enhances surgical capabilities by enabling the performance of complex surgeries through a tiny surgical opening. The system cannot be programmed nor can it make decisions on its own. The da Vinci System requires that every surgical maneuver be performed with direct input from your surgeon. The da Vinci System has been successfully used in thousands of prostate cancer procedures worldwide.

For most patients, da Vinci Prostatectomy offers numerous potential benefits over open prostatectomy including:

• shorter hospital stay
• less pain
• less risk of infection
• less blood loss and transfusions
• less scarring
• faster recovery
• quicker return to normal activities

As with any surgical procedure, these benefits cannot be guaranteed as surgery is both patient and procedure specific.

Daniel Rukstalis, MD, is seated at the control console of the robotic da Vinci Surgical System. Geisinger is the first in the region to offer robotic surgery for a variety of surgical procedures.

Geisinger offers two robotic da Vinci Surgical Systems for the treatment of prostate cancer. Experienced surgeons perform robotic prostatectomy at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre and Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.