Radical Transcoccygeal Prostatectomy

[greengiant]

I was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer.  Because of my age, my Gleason score, and several other factors, my doctor says that a prostatectomy is the way to go.  After a ton of research, I agree with doing the surgery as my best option, but can find very little on the type of surgery that he wants to do. It's called radical transcoccygeal prostatectomy.  Has anyone had this surgery and can anyone tell me the benfits of this approach over the radical retropubic approach.

[riley180]

General prostatectomy approaches include open (retropubic, perineal) and laparoscopic. I think the transcoccygeal and perineal are the same (verify with your urologist). There is no proven advantage for retropubic over perineal, so I would go with what the urologist has more practice in performing.  

[Artdude]

You might consider getting a "second opinion" with a doctor who performs robotic prostatectomies.  There are distinct advantages to using this form of prostatectomy providing you are a candidate.  Check the da vinci robot website for doctors near you.  I underwent the robotic process October 19 in Atlanta and was very pleased with the overnight stay in the hospital (it is considered outpatient surgery procedure) and the quick recovery time.  My catheter was out in a week. Continence soon followed.  The robot is a procedure you should at least consider.