Prostate Center

Serving The Kansas City Community

David Emmott, MD, and his partner Scott Montgomery, MD, have become the first Kansas City area surgeons to perform more than 500 minimally invasive radical prostatectomies using the da Vinci® Surgical System available exclusively in Johnson County at Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC). Emmott and Montgomery were also the first area surgeons to perform the procedure.

SMMC introduced the minimally invasive prostate removal technique using the da Vinci Surgical System in 2004. The procedure affords men a quicker recovery and better chance of retaining continence and sexual potency.

“Using the da Vinci, recovery time from radical prostatectomy can be reduced from weeks to days,” Dr. Emmott said. “It is possible for patients to be back at work within two weeks following the procedure.”

Radical prostatectomy treats early stage prostate cancer by removing the entire prostate gland and additional surrounding tissue. Traditionally, radical prostatectomy procedures were performed through large incisions, which often resulted in lengthy and uncomfortable patient recovery.

With the da Vinci Surgical System, surgeons are able to perform the procedure through minimally invasive “keyhole” incisions, significantly reducing blood loss and recovery time. In addition, the robot allows surgeons enhanced range of motion, precision and dexterity – all critical to the complex anatomy surrounding the prostate.

How It Works

The da Vinci Surgical System consists of two primary components: the surgeon's viewing and control console and the surgical arm units that position and maneuver detachable surgical instruments. These pencil-sized instruments (with tiny, computer-enhanced mechanical wrists) are designed to provide the dexterity of the surgeon's forearm and wrist at the operative site through three incisions of less than one centimeter each.

One incision allows access for the endoscope, a tiny camera attached to a fiber-optic cable. The other two incisions provide access for the robot’s wrists, which hold surgical tools and provide greater range of motion than humanly possible.

The wrists of the robot mimic the motions made by the physician, who sits at a console beside the patient. The surgeon peers through an eyepiece that provides high-definition, full-color, magnified, 3-D images of the surgical site provided by the endoscope.

Click here to learn about radical prostatectomy using the da Vinici Surgical System.