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Why Robots Make Better Prostate Surgeons (Video)

by Tom Samiljan on September 23, 2009 at 04:45 PM


Dr. David Samadi may look like he's playing a video game when he's at work, but he's actually performing robotic prostate surgery. The Chief of the Division of Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery at New York's Mt. Sinai Medical Center is one of only a half-dozen or so United States surgeons who can perform robotic laparoscopic surgery, which uses a special 3-D control system to operate the remote machinery that does the operation. Because it's super precise, robotic surgery is a godsend for folks who are getting prostate surgery, for example, since the only five incisions and mini-cameras that go inside a patient's abdomen during the operation minimize lengthy hospital stays, not to mention side effects like impotence and incontinence that come with traditional prostate surgery. To highlight Prostate Cancer Awareness Month (September), we visited Dr. Samadi at Mt. Sinai and filmed him in action. Check it out -- and while you're at it, get your prostate checked out (by your doctor, of course), especially if you're a male over the age of 50. It could save your life!

Tags: cancer, features, health, medicine, prostatecancer, roboticsurgeon, roboticsurgery, robots, samadi, science, surgery, switchedvideo, top

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