Beyond the Prostate

Robotic surgery continues to find useful applications outside of radical prostatectomy. Besides bladder removals, kidney surgery, and hysterectomy, I have found the system to be perfect for repairing vesicovaginal fistulas. These are conditions where an abnormal connection materializes between the bladder and the vagina. Urine flows from the bladder and out of the vagina, creating considerable mental anguish for the patient. Usually, this occurs after a pelvic surgery such as a hysterectomy. So far, I have seen 4 cases, which I was able to fix successfully using the robot.