What you can expect

Before the procedure

Prostatectomy is usually done using general anesthesia, which means you're not awake during the procedure. Your doctor may also give you an antibiotic right before surgery to help prevent infection.

During the procedure

• Robot-assisted radical prostatectomy. Your surgeon sits at a remote-control console a short distance from you and the operating table and precisely controls the motion of the surgical instruments using two hand-and-finger control devices. The console displays a magnified, 3D view of the surgical area that enables the surgeon to visualize the procedure in much greater detail than in traditional laparoscopic surgery.

  The robotic system allows smaller and more-precise incisions, which for some men promotes faster recovery than traditional open surgery does. Just as with open retropubic surgery, the robotic approach enables nerve-sparing techniques that may preserve both sexual potency and continence in the appropriately selected person.

• Open radical prostatectomy. Your surgeon makes an incision in your lower abdomen, from below your navel to just above your pubic bone. After carefully dissecting the prostate gland from surrounding nerves and blood vessels, the surgeon removes the prostate along with nearby tissue. The incision is then closed with sutures.

• Simple prostatectomy. At the start of the procedure, your doctor may insert a long, flexible viewing scope (cystoscope) through the tip of your penis to see inside the urethra, bladder and prostate area. Your doctor will then insert a tube (Foley catheter) into the tip of your penis that extends into your bladder to drain urine during the procedure. The location of incisions will depend on what technique your doctor uses. If you also have a hernia or bladder problem, your doctor may use the surgery as an opportunity to repair it.

  Once your doctor has removed the part of your prostate causing symptoms, one to two temporary drain tubes may be inserted through punctures in your skin near the surgery site. One tube goes directly into your bladder (suprapubic tube), and the other tube goes into the area where the prostate was removed (pelvic drain).

After the procedure

After surgery you should expect that:

• You'll be given IV pain medications. Your doctor may give you prescription pain pills to take after the IV is removed.
• Your doctor will have you walk the day of or the day after surgery. You'll also do exercises to move your feet while you're in bed.
• You'll likely go home the day after surgery. When your doctor thinks it's safe for you to go home, the pelvic drain is taken out. You may need to return to the doctor in one or two weeks to have staples taken out.
• You'll return home with a catheter in place. Most men need a urinary catheter for seven to 10 days after surgery. Full recovery of urinary control can take up to a year after surgery.

Make sure you understand the post-surgery steps you need to take, and any restrictions such as driving or lifting heavy things:

• You'll need to resume your activity level gradually. You should be back to your normal routine in about four to six weeks.
• You'll need to see your doctor a few times to make sure everything is OK. Most men see their doctors after about six weeks and then again every three months for the first year, and twice in the second year after surgery. If you have any problems or concerns, you may need to see your doctor sooner or more often.
• You'll probably be able to resume sexual activity after recuperating from surgery. After simple prostatectomy, you can still have an orgasm during sex, but you'll ejaculate very little or no semen. After radical prostatectomy, full recovery of erectile function may take as long as 18 months for some men.