During the Radical Perineal Prostatectomy, the surgical incision is made in the space between the anus and the scrotum. The approach is particularly effective for patients who have undergone previous abdominal surgery, and have an extensive amount of surgical adhesions in the area. The perineal approach may not appropriate for those patients who are massively obese. These contraindications may be due to positioning, as patients need to be placed in the exaggerated lithotomy position.

If lymph node dissection is needed for patients having the perineal prostatectomy, a small skin incision can be made in the abdomen to retrieve the specimens. Perineal Prostatectomy involves less blood loss during the procedure and the recovery time is faster.

The Radical Perineal Prostatectomy does offer the surgeon the opportunity to do nerve-sparing techniques to preserve a man’s ability to achieve erections after surgery. Some statistics imply that retropubic approach offers better opportunities to preserve the nerves, but perineal prostatectomy also provides the surgeon the option of sparing the nerves not involved in cancer exposure.

**Please refer to Instructions for Radical Prostatectomy for further information regarding the day of surgery, length of hospital stay, and at home care after surgery.