Is A Nerve-Sparing Approach Always Used?

Dr. Scardino answers the question: 'Is A Nerve-Sparing Approach Always Used?'

ByABC News
November 19, 2008, 12:19 PM

March 16, 2009 -- Question: Can nerve-sparing prostatectomy be performed with any type of radical prostatectomy?

Answer: Today, nerve-sparing radical prostatectomies are performed by the traditional open technique, by the laparoscopic technique and by the robotic-assisted laparoscopic techniques, and success has been achieved with all of these techniques. I tell my patients it's not so much the tool that the surgeon use as it is the surgeon's skill and experience and knowledge of the operation itself that determines the outcome.