UC Health Urologists Now Offer 'Catheter-less' Prostate Cancer Surgery

Cincinnati—UC Health is one of two health care systems in the United States and the first in Ohio to offer robot-assisted prostate cancer surgery (prostatectomy) without the need for a penile catheter post-op.

"Studies have shown that almost 80 percent of patients are severely bothered by the presence of a catheter after surgery. We have incorporated several innovative techniques to eliminate the need for a penile catheter after robotic radical prostatectomy," explains Nilesh Patil, MD, a UC Health urologist and assistant professor of surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

In traditional prostate cancer surgery, patients have a penile catheter for up to 10 days to drain urine while the surgical site heals.

The no catheter technique involves draining urine directly from the bladder through a small incision above the pubic bone via a small tube. This spares the patient of the irritation of a penile catheter and allows for early bladder training.

"Patients experience less pain with this technique and the outcomes are no different when the surgery is performed at experienced medical centers like UC Health," adds Patil.

Patil trained with Mani Menon, MD, of Henry Ford Hospital Vattikuti Urology Institute, who introduced the catheter-less technique for radical prostatectomy in 2008. Patil has used the approach to treat several patients at UC Health University Hospital since joining the College of Medicine faculty in January 2011.

Collectively, UC Health's urology team performs more than 200 robotic radical prostatectomies annually. Patients typically require an overnight stay in the hospital and are able to resume normal activities within a few weeks.

"This is a paradigm shift in techniques traditionally used in urologic surgery that allows us to provide the gold standard of care in prostate cancer while eliminating the No. 1 complaint expressed by our patients i.e. discomfort from a penile catheter," adds Patil.  

Patil is fellowship trained in robotic oncology surgery and sees patients at the UC Health Physicians Offices in Clifton and West Chester. For appointments and referrals, call (513) 475-8787.

Urology at UC Health is the only program in the Greater Cincinnati has been listed among the top 50 urology programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The team offers advanced treatment options for diseases of the prostate, bladder and kidney; urologic cancer; urological trauma; sexual dysfunction and male infertility; urological infections; and urinary incontinence. For more information, visit ucphysicians.com.