Here we are in the midst of an economic crisis and healthcare costs are at the top of the list of Congressional discussions. So much so that over $1Bil is earmarked for research on the effectiveness of different medical treatments, among which is robotic surgery.
Robotic surgery has proven to be effective for prostate cancer, but it's not for everyone. While urologists are being trained in robotic-assisted procedures over laproscopic surgery, it's not automatically decided upon. Robotic surgery, however, is considered minimally invasive, compared to laproscopic. Yet, patients are reluctant to participate in comparison studies of the two types of procedures, believing they know what they want.
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Surgery Goes Sci-Fi
Robotic Surgery for Prostate Cancer: An Automatic Choice?