A Gentler Prostate Surgery
with Volusia County’s Only da Vinci Robot
Dr. Richard Landrigan,
urologist
Prostate cancer struck his father. And
his brother. So when 59-year-old Port
Orange resident Walter Cooper
received his diagnosis, he began doing his
own research on the condition.
This led him to the Halifax Health – Center for Urology and board-certified urologist Richard Landrigan, MD. Dr. Landrigan is skilled in advanced treatments for prostate cancer, including full prostate removal, a procedure known as prostatectomy. He regularly performs this procedure using Volusia County’s only da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System.
Fewer Side Effects
With the da Vinci system, a tiny camera is inserted through a small incision, giving the surgeon a clear view inside the body. The surgeon then operates through this incision using robotic fingers and miniaturized surgical instruments.Using this system, Dr. Landrigan said, “There’s much less blood loss. I have not had to transfuse a single radical prostatectomy patient using the da Vinci.” In contrast, open surgery involves a long incision, and about 50 percent of patients need a blood transfusion.
The da Vinci also helps surgeons spare important nerve tissue. This makes it easier to preserve sexual function and reduce the risk for incontinence, Dr. Landrigan said.
Caring, Personalized Treatment
Cooper underwent the da Vinci procedure in February 2008. “I don’t have any big scars,” he said. “In fact, I haven’t had a single negative effect from the procedure.”He is pleased with the caring, personalized treatment he has received at the Center for Urology. “Dr. Landrigan was concerned about how I wanted to take care of the cancer,” Cooper said. “His office staff cares, too. They’ve all been fantastic. It’s clear I’m a person, not just a number.”
While his da Vinci procedure required only a two-day hospital stay — quite a bit shorter than the five or six a traditional prostatectomy mandates — he concluded, “I had a very positive experience at Halifax Health. The nurses were wonderful.”
