MUSC's Dr. Harry Clarke talks about the da Vinci Surgical System

MUSC's Harry Clarke, M.D., Ph.D., associate dean for graduate medical education and urologist, knew he had the perfect candidate for what would be MUSC's first robotic cystoprostatectomy or the removal of the bladder and prostate that included taking a part of Hoshour's bowel to reconstruct a new bladder called a neobladder. If all went well, the neobladder would mean Hoshour would not have to wear a bag or use a catheter.

The da Vinci Surgical System, developed by the U.S. Department of Defense, was introduced to MUSC in May 2008 by Andre Hebra, M.D., director of the Division of Pediatric Surgery. Since then, the use of the system has spread to a variety of specialties, including urology. The challenge now is competing with other specialties to find time on the machine, Clarke said.