The robotic laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

Abstract

The history of surgical treatment for prostate cancer dates back to 7 April 1904, when Dr. Hugh Young, with the assistance of William Halsted, performed the world’s first radical prostatectomy at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore [1]. His technique was adapted from an operation he learnt from the iconoclastic American surgeon, George Goodfellow, who developed a surgical method of prostatic enucleation via a transperineal route for the treatment of bladder outlet obstruction.