Robotic Prostatectomy: Frequently Asked Questions

Your initial consultation is £360 and a follow-up is £275. The self-pay surgery fee comes to around £22,000 in total: a hospital fee of around £16,000 covering the operation, a two-night stay and catheter removal, a surgeon's fee of around £4,000, and an anaesthetist's fee of around £2,000. If you are insured, Mr Sridhar is fee assured and will not charge any excess on his fee. See the fees and insurance page for the full breakdown.

Most patients stay one night, and some stay two, depending on how recovery and mobility are going. The focus is on getting you moving early, managing pain, and making sure any surgical drain can be safely removed before you go home. The recovery and aftercare page sets out the full timeline.

No. Both remove the prostate, but they differ in how the operation is accessed. In robotic surgery Mr Sridhar operates from a console, controlling instruments through a few keyhole incisions, rather than through a single open incision, and the robot does not operate on its own. This usually means less pain and a quicker return home. See the robotic vs open comparison for a side-by-side.

Retzius-sparing is an approach to robotic prostatectomy that reaches the prostate without disturbing the space in front of it (the space of Retzius). By leaving that space and its supporting structures undisturbed, the approach aims to protect the support around the bladder while the cancer is removed. Whether it is suitable depends on your anatomy and the position of the cancer.

NeuroSAFE is a technique that checks the prostate tissue under the microscope during the operation, while Mr Sridhar is still able to act on the result. It helps him judge how much of the nerve tissue that controls erections and continence can be safely preserved without leaving cancer behind. It is not available in every hospital, and Mr Sridhar combines it with nerve-sparing and the Retzius-sparing approach to protect as much function as possible. See risks and side effects for how these techniques relate to recovery of function.

Yes. Mr Sridhar performs the surgery himself; the robotic system is an extension of his hands and does not operate on its own. He is supported by a dedicated team of anaesthetists, nurses and administrators who are contactable around the clock, so your care is continuous from consultation through to follow-up.

Mr Sridhar and his team will guide you through it. Preparation usually includes getting as fit and active as you reasonably can, starting pelvic-floor exercises before surgery, and, if natural fertility matters to you, considering sperm banking beforehand. You will be given clear instructions about eating, drinking and medications in the days before your operation.

Many men need nothing more than monitoring with regular PSA blood tests. Sometimes, depending on what the laboratory finds in the removed prostate, additional treatment such as radiotherapy may be recommended. Mr Sridhar will discuss your individual results and any next steps with you honestly.