Reminder - OR-Live.com Presents: Live Prostate Cancer Surgery -- A Radical Prostatectomy Using the DaVinci Robotic System

Live Webcast: Wednesday, December 8, 2004 at 3:00pm (CST) 4:00pm (EDT)

Vanderbilt University Medical Center's department of Urologic Surgery, a nationally recognized leader in the treatment of prostate disease, is hosting a live webcast from 3:00pm until 4:00pm (CST) on December 8, for a robotically-assisted radical prostatectomy (prostate removal) on www.OR-Live.com To date VUMC has successfully performed over two hundred similar robotically-assisted prostate surgeries and is recognized as a national leader for this procedure.

Introducing a new degree of freedom and control for the surgeon, and eliminating the awkwardness of endoscopic technique, robotic systems help to extend the important benefits of minimally invasive surgery to new groups of patients.

Endoscopic surgery, a less-invasive alternative to traditional open surgery, uses small incisions, or ports, for the insertion of an optical device (endoscope) and surgical instruments. Viewing the operating field through a video monitor, the endoscopic surgeon manipulates instruments with the use of mechanical extensions. Compared to traditional open surgery, endoscopic technique reduces blood loss and postoperative pain and allows quicker recovery from surgery. But it's an awkward way to work, involving large arm movements and requiring the surgeon to transpose his movements as he manipulates instruments in a visual field where up is down and left is right.

The live webcast allows viewers to see critical portions of the surgery, to be performed by Dr. Joseph A. Smith Jr., Vanderbilt's chairman of the Department of Urologic Surgery, as it happens. The event will be moderated by Dr. Duke Herrell, assistant professor of Urologic Surgery, who will explain critical portions of the procedure as Smith operates. Drs. Smith and Herrell will be able to respond to viewer questions throughout the live event.

"The Da Vinci robot built by Intuitive Surgical uses three arms, one for the endoscope and two for surgical instruments, each entering the patient through its own port. It's very intuitive," said Smith, who transfers to the robotic approach the skills and experience he has gained in performing more than 2,000 open radical prostatectomies.

Visit http://www.or-live.com/vanderbilt/1227 now to view a program preview video. A VNR is available at http://www.or-live.com/vanderbilt/1227/rams/vnr.ram

The webcast uses RealPlayer from RealNetworks, Inc to display both video and synchronized slides in side by side windows.