Locations:
Search IconSearch
October 3, 2018/Cancer

First Prostate Surgery Performed in U.S. Using Single Port SP Robot

Surgeons completed radical prostatectomy using new-generation robot

SP-Port-Robot-1-650×450

Cleveland Clinic is the first hospital in the country to successfully perform surgeries using the Single Port SP Robot, which inserts all surgical instruments through one small abdominal incision, improving surgical outcomes and allowing quicker patient recovery.

Advertisement

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy

New generation robot used in 3 surgeries

On Sept. 28, Cleveland Clinic surgeons used the SP Robot to perform three surgeries — two surgeries to remove cancerous prostates and one surgery to remove an enlarged prostate blocking the urinary system through the bladder.

Jihad Kaouk, MD, Director of the Center for Robotic and Image Guided Surgery in the Glickman Urologic and Kidney Institute, was the first to perform and publish on robotic single-port surgery in 2008 using standard robotic systems and coining the phrase R-LESS (robotic laparoendoscopic single site surgery).

After completing and publishing the first ever clinical use for the SP robot in Europe, Dr. Kaouk and his team also performed last week’s radical prostatectomies and transvesical simple prostatectomy at Cleveland Clinic. The new purpose-built robotic SP system will allow the single port approach to be more feasible.

Making the previously impossible possible

“We anticipate that this new generation of robots will allow for new and different routes of surgeries that haven’t previously been possible,” Dr. Kaouk says. “For example, we can now go through a patient’s perineum instead of their belly to perform prostate surgery and avoid touching the bowel, or work through the retroperitoneal space to perform kidney surgery without entering the abdomen, allowing for quicker recovery time.”

Currently, the SP Robot is only FDA-approved for urologic surgeries, with plans to expand to ENT and colorectal surgeries in the near future.

“We are proud to offer this surgical approach and be on the forefront of surgical innovation,” adds Mark A. Taylor, MD, Chairman of Surgical Operations at Cleveland Clinic.

Advertisement

Dr. Kaouk worked with the Intuitive Inc. team of engineers to test and improve the new robotic system. Dr. Kaouk is a paid consultant, speaker or member of the advisory committee for Endocare, Inc. and Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

Advertisement

Related Articles

scan showing cholangiocarcinoma
June 5, 2025/Cancer/News & Insight
Exploring Novel Therapeutic Avenues in Advanced Cholangiocarcinoma: Lessons from the EA2187 Trial

Collaborative research effort underscores the urgent need for effective second-line therapies in this rare, aggressive cancer

Anticoagulant sign
June 4, 2025/Cancer/News & Insight
Direct-Acting Oral Anticoagulants Safe for Patients with Brain Metastasis

Largest study to date comparing direct-acting oral anticoagulants to low-molecular-weight heparin

Squamous cell carcinoma
June 2, 2025/Cancer/News & Insight
Adjuvant Immunotherapy in High-Risk Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Pembrolizumab does not improve outcomes, but immunotherapy may still offer benefit

Photonic sensor
May 22, 2025/Cancer/News & Insight
Novel Partnership Aims to Advance ctDNA Testing in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Cleveland Clinic, the University of Minnesota and University of Cambridge receive $1M grant to develop point-of-care biosensor for early detection and treatment personalization

gastroesophageal cancer illustration
May 20, 2025/Cancer/News & Insight
Roughly One-Third of Patients with Metastatic Gastroesophageal Cancer May be Eligible for New Targeted Therapy

Long-acting antiemetics and high-dose steroids key to minimizing acute nausea

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy
May 16, 2025/Cancer/News & Insight
Changing Course in Treating Advanced Melanoma

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy improves outcomes

Dr. Abhay Singh
May 14, 2025/Cancer
Managing Weight and Diabetes May Offer Promise for Blood Cancer Prevention (Podcast)

Use of GLP-1s and improving cardiovascular health lowers risk of hematologic malignancies

Ad