Minimally Invasive Urology - Columbia Urology

Urology Specialties - Minimally Invasive Urology

Return to Urology Specialties

Download Flash Player to view Perinatal animations.

Our Approach to Minimally Invasive Urology

At Columbia Urology, minimally invasive surgery is central to our mission. Our highly skilled and widely respected minimally invasive surgery team specializes in surgical procedures that are both the most effective and least invasive to treat a large range of conditions – urologic cancers, benign prostate enlargement, bladder disorders, women's and children's urologic problems, urinary stone disease, reconstructive surgery, male and female sexual dysfunction, and male infertility.

Our Team for Minimally Invasive Urology

Our team has extensive experience in laparoscopic robotic prostate and kidney surgery and is one of a few centers in the country – and the first in New York City – to use the state-of-the-art high definition da Vinci-S Surgical System to perform robotic urologic surgery. Leading the team is Dr. Ketan K. Badani, who originally developed the robotic techniques and instrumentation now widely used at other medical centers for laparoscopic removal of either the entire kidney (a nephrectomy) or portions of the kidney (a partial nephrectomy) in patients with kidney cancer. Surgeons here perform hundreds of minimally invasive urologic procedures of all kinds every year.

Benefits of Minimally Invasive Urology

We believe that minimally invasive procedures are an excellent choice for most patients with urologic problems that require surgery. With all minimally invasive procedures, patients benefit in several ways: their hospital stay is shortened; they experience less pain and blood loss; have smaller incisions, and can more quickly return to their normal activities. Most important of all, studies show that their clinical outcomes equal those of patients who undergo traditional surgery – or are even better.

Our Individualized Approach to Treatment

We pride ourselves on our skill at finding the best individualized therapy for every patient we treat. Columbia Urology surgeons are expert at determining which patients will benefit most from the following minimally invasive approaches.

Active Surveillance:
Active surveillance, or watchful waiting, as this approach is sometimes known, is the most minimally invasive treatment option and is a good choice for many patients with very slowly growing or indolent urologic cancers. We delay treatment for these patients until necessary and avoid the potential side effects of therapy, while carefully monitoring their disease for signs of change or growth.

Laparoscopic Surgery:
In laparoscopic surgery, surgeons operate using a tiny video camera (a laparoscope) and several very thin surgical instruments. Surgeons insert these into the patient's abdomen or pelvis through a few small incisions. The laparoscope gives the surgeon an excellent view of the operating area while he or she uses the thin, rod-like tools to mimic the techniques used during open surgery (surgery done through a large incision).

Endoscopic Surgery:
Endoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive approach in which urologic surgeons use a tiny video camera (the endoscope) and specialized surgical instruments to operate on the bladder, ureters, and kidneys. Surgeons pass the endoscope through an existing space in the body such as the urethra. In some procedures they pass the endoscope through a very small incision in the skin (percutaneously) to the organ or area being operated on.

Cryotherapy:
In traditional surgeries for prostate and kidney cancers, surgeons make incisions and cut out the disease. In cryotherapy treatment (also called ablation), surgeons freeze the disease at its site by inserting several needles into the tumor. Argon and helium gas circulate through the needles, lowering the temperature to -40°C for several minutes. Tumor tissue is destroyed by these ultra-low temperatures, and surrounding normal tissues remain intact. Columbia Urology's minimally invasive urology team has more experience using this technology to treat both kidney and prostate cancer than almost any other surgical team in the world.

Robotic Laparoscopic Surgery:
During minimally invasive robotic surgery the surgeon sits at a console next to the patient and controls four robotic arms. One arm holds a three-dimensional camera and controls its movements, while the other three hold miniaturized surgical tools, which precisely replicate the surgeon's hand and finger movements. The da Vinci robotic surgery system gives the surgeon a highly magnified view of the surgical field, and unsurpassed surgical dexterity and control. Columbia Urology surgeons use the da Vinci to perform complex surgical procedures on the prostate gland, kidney, and bladder.