OPEN PROSTATECTOMY
Open prostatectomy is also known as traditional open surgery or an open approach. Your surgeon will make an incision through your skin to remove the prostate and nearby tissues.
There are two main approaches, as we explain here:
RADICAL RETROPUBIC:
Your surgeon will make the cut from your bellybutton to your pubic bone. In most cases, your surgeon will remove only the prostate. But if they suspect the cancer may have spread, they will remove some lymph nodes for testing. Your surgeon may not continue the surgery if they discover that the cancer has spread.
RADICAL PERINEAL APPROACH:
Your surgeon will make a cut in the space between the rectum and scrotum. This is often done when you have other medical conditions that complicate retropubic surgery. In this position, your surgeon can’t remove the lymph nodes. This surgery takes less time than retropubic surgery, but there is a higher risk for erectile dysfunction.
For both approaches, you can be under general anesthesia or spinal or epidural anesthesia.