“Mr. Smith I spared your nerves during your prostatectomy for prostate cancer.” As my mother would say,”Oh spare me!”

If you see the nerves better with the robot and “you spared them” why is it then that people still have erection issues? Why is that to date there is no better success rate shown by the robot vs traditional open prostatectomy? The following is quite good.

Look at the next video…does it appear that they actually see “the nerves” or they where they would be? Can you see a “nerve.” If they think they see the nerves, then do they see the “subvisual” branches that then go to the prostate? I think not. And that is why there is so much variance in how people do after a “nerve sparing ” prostatectomy. There is still a lot we don’t understand and I am bit disappointed in surgeons that announce to their patients,” I spared your nerves.” I think it would be fairer to say, ” I feel very good about my nerve sparing technique and my dissection today. I am optimistic that we have optimized your chances of sexual recovery.” In the following video, the doctor doing the procedure has done as many as anybody in the world. He says in the video,”The path of the neurovascular bundle is clearly delineated.” That is a fair assessment of the surgery. Most commonly you see “where it should go and you spare that” not “I saw the nerves and I spared them for you. Now go and tell your friends that your “nerves were spared.” A big difference my friend.