Laparoscopic Surgery - Columbia Urology

Minimally Invasive Urology - Laparoscopic Surgery

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About Laparoscopic Surgery

During laparoscopic surgery surgeons place a tiny video camera (called a laparoscope) and several long, thin surgical instruments inside the patient through a few small incisions about a half-inch long. The abdomen, pelvis, or other area being operated on is gently expanded with inert gas. The camera transmits an image of the operating field onto a television monitor, showing the surgeon everything he or she would see through a large incision. Surgeons are able to reproduce the techniques they use during open surgery with the miniaturized instruments.

Whenever possible, doctors at Columbia Urology treat patients who have kidney, bladder, or prostate cancers using laparoscopic or robotic assisted laparoscopic procedures. If a patient is not able to undergo laparoscopy because their condition is more complex and requires open surgery, our surgical team has comprehensive experience in this approach as well.

Laparoscopic Surgery for Kidney Cancer

Surgeons at Columbia Urology can treat most kidney cancer patients with minimally invasive techniques that include laparoscopic partial nephrectomy and laparoscopic radical nephrectomy. During these surgeries, doctors remove either the tumor and a small margin of healthy tissue, or they remove the entire kidney to cure kidney cancer. These very technically challenging laparoscopic kidney surgeries are performed at only a few medical centers. Dr. Ketan K. Badani at Columbia Urology is an internationally recognized expert in minimally invasive surgery and has performed more than 1,600 advanced laparoscopic procedures, and is one of the most experienced surgeons in the world with this type of kidney surgery.

Long-term cancer control following laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is excellent and patients return to full activity in less than half the time it takes to recover from the same procedure done with open surgery.

Laparoscopic Surgery for Bladder Cancer

Some patients with advanced bladder cancer may need part or all of their bladder removed, procedures called partial and radical cystectomy. Surgeons perform a partial cystectomy when cancer has invaded just one part of the bladder wall. When the cancer has spread farther throughout the bladder they perform a radical cystectomy, removing the bladder and nearby lymph nodes (lymphadenectomy) and organs. They then construct a new structure allowing patients to store urine inside the body (a neobladder) or in an external pouch (urostomy). Columbia Urology surgeons perform cystectomies using a traditional laparoscopic or robotic laparoscopic approach whenever possible, because patients recover quickly and easily.

Laparoscopic Surgery for Prostate Cancer

Columbia Urology's urologic surgeons perform minimally invasive radical prostate surgery using a laparoscopic surgical robotic unit known as the da Vinci system. This revolutionary surgical system gives surgeons access to the prostate through a few small incisions. Miniaturized surgical instruments allow surgeons to manipulate tissue with great accuracy and remove the patient's prostate gland while minimizing harm to the surrounding tissues. The da Vinci system gives surgeons a significantly enhanced magnification of the surgical field, making it easier for them to see and avoid the important nerves that run through the prostate, significantly reducing the risk of urinary incompetence and impotence.