Dr. O'Neil on Superior Quality of Life After Robotic Prostatectomy

Brock O'Neil, MD, physician, instructor in urologic surgery, Vanderbilt University, discusses a study that demonstrated evidence of superior quality of life after robotic assisted radical prostatectomy.

Though robotic prostatectomy has been around for quite some time, O'Neil explains, there is lack of evidence to prove its efficacy. In O'Neil's study, researchers compared data from two large cohort studies. One set of data was analyzed from the 1990s, which focused on open radical prostatectomy, and another from 2011 and 2012, which focused on robotic surgery. This allowed researchers to compare outcomes from studies that were dominated by a single type of surgery.

The comparison found that there was a significant benefit, especially for sexual function, for patients undergoing robotic surgery. There was also a significantly statistical benefit in urinary function, but O'Neil says this may not be clinically meaningful.

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