Robotic surgery is nothing new to Siouxland, but a latest technology has made it easier for doctors and patients.

One of the patients, Larry Hardersen, said the threat of prostate cancer has always seemed real to him. Larry said his father had prostate cancer and he lived to be 100. His father’s brother also had this cancer, and he died from it at an earlier age.

A year and half ago, Hardersen went in for a PSA test to detect the disease. A year later, his levels went up, and again three months later they kept going on. So he had a biopsy.

It came back and showed that there was cancer in the prostate. Since then he decided to have the procedure done. Hardersen said the procedure performed by Dr. Craig Block at Mercy Medical Center wasn't a traditional one.

Dr. Block performed a robotically-assisted prostatectomy. In lay terms it's the removal of prostate for patients with prostate cancer. In 2008, Dr. Block performed his first robotic surgery.

This time he used the new da Vinci X-i, which allows the surgeon to make several small incisions about a 1/2 of an inch each to remove the prostate in a less invasive way.

In comparison to an incision that is used to be around 10 to 12 inches from the belly button all the way to the pubic bone, the latest technology made it much easier for the patient.

Easier in the sense that it was less painful, took less time in the hospital and resulted into a quicker recovery time for patients like Hardersen. The technology helped the doctor in performing his job in an easier way.

The da Vinci X-i magnified everything by 12 times, as a result of which the doctor was able to see the things normally not detected by the naked eye.

Dr. Block said, “Which allows us to be less traumatic to the tissues. And, then hopefully leave to better functional outcome to the patient as far as urinary control and sexual function as far as cancer cure”.

The di Vinci X-i is also useful for other procedures as well, including kidney, colon, gall bladder, and hysterectomies.