Sex After Prostate Cancer Made Possible by World-Renowned Robotic Prostate Cancer Surgeon, Dr. David Samadi, using SMART Technique

NEW YORK, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Men diagnosed with prostate cancer may struggle with facing their treatment options and how it will affect sexual function.
Often, many treatment conversations start with "Will I have sex after prostate cancer?"

"Knowing what to expect is a large part of optimizing my patient's sexual recovery from prostate surgery. I work very closely with men and their partners before, during and after surgery to help them understand what's likely to occur," said Dr. David Samadi, Chairman of Urology and Chief of Robotic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Dr. Samadi is a world renowned robotic surgeon because of his surgical volume, successful track record and background in open and laparoscopic prostate surgery. He performs his SMART Surgery (Samadi Modified Advanced Robotic Technique) in under 90 minutes, maintaining patient recovery in the hospital to 1-2 days.

Dr. Samadi has made it his priority to preserve sexual function during prostate surgery.

The following factors separate his patient's outcome from others:

• He is trained in open, laparoscopic and robotic surgery
• He has performed over 6,000 robotic prostate surgeries (more than any other surgeon in New York City)
• 84% of men who undergo his surgery regain complete sexual function post-surgery
• He performs the entire surgery
• His SMART Technique (Samadi Modified Advanced Robotic Technique) for prostate cancer – Learn more about the Smart Surgery Technique

How Sexual Function is Preserved

The goal of every SMART Surgery Dr. Samadi performs is to make the patient cancer-free, with continence and sexual function. There are steps taken to achieve this result before, during and after surgery.

Before surgery, questionnaires are given to the patient and many of their risk factors for sexual function are assessed, such as family history and current issues like erectile dysfunction.

During the surgery, the SMART Technique innovated by Dr. Samadi is used. This technique was designed to specifically preserve the neurovascular bundles surrounding the prostate, through meticulous dissection. In addition, no heat or cautery is applied to the area. Instead, Dr. Samadi uses clips and cold scissors to further preserve the nerves responsible for sexual function.

After surgery, if men experience sexual function issues, further sexual rehabilitation options can be considered.

Option 1: Oral Medication
Oral medications like Levitra, Viagra, Cialis are often the first line of therapy for erectile dysfunction post-surgery. Generally, they can speed the recovery through penile rehabilitation and a patient may need them for only a short time.

Option 2: Penile Injection Therapy
If oral medications are not effective, penile injection therapy can be used to help the nerves regenerate or recover sufficiently. Injection therapy is the most potent form of treatment. Muse (a urethral suppository) can be placed into the urethra to generate an erection. Medications such as Edex can also be injected directly into the penis to induce an erection.

Option 3: Vacuum Erection Decide (VED)
Another treatment for ED is often called a vacuum pump, a mechanical device that fits over the penile tissue generating an erection using negative pressure. 

Option 4: Penile Implants 
In some cases, no erectile function will return after prostate surgery. In such cases, patients may want to explore the option of a penile implant for a permanent ED solution. A penile implant is an excellent option and is associated with a very high rate of patient and partner satisfaction. 

ABOUT DR. DAVID B. SAMADI
Dr. Samadi is a board certified urologic oncologist trained in open and traditional and laparoscopic surgery and is an expert in robotic prostate surgery. He is Chairman of Urology, Chief of Robotic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and Professor of Urology at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. He is also part of the Fox News Medical A Team as a medical correspondent and the Chief Medical Correspondent for am970 in New York City. He has dedicated his distinguished career to the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer and is considered one of the most prominent surgeons in his field. Learn more at roboticoncology.com. Visit Dr. Samadi's blog at SamadiMD.com.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150402/196221-INFO

SOURCE Dr. David Samadi

Related Links

http://www.roboticoncology.com