A Mount Sinai Medical Center surgeon has announced the successful completion of a series of robotic prostate cancer treatment surgeries.

David Samadi, MD, the vice chairman, Department of Urology, and chief of robotics and minimally invasive surgery at Mount Sinai, reports he wrapped up his "groundbreaking" trip to Israel last week with the completion of six successful robotic prostate surgeries, three of which were televised live.

While in Israel, Samadi demonstrated his SMART technique (Samadi Modified Advanced Robotic Technique) to 50 Israeli urologists, who were invited to attend and learn his robotic surgery skills. Samadi performed the surgery at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, northern Israel, with the hospital's newly acquired da Vinci robot.

"The surgery has now moved Rambam to the forefront of world-class hospitals that offer prostate removal with the da Vinci surgical system," Samadi said. Working closely with Jack Baniel, MD of the Rabin Medical Center Petah Tikvah, Israel, and Jacob Ramon, MD of Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital, Tel Aviv, Samadi launched this international effort to mentor colleagues in Israel on his SMART surgery technique and share his surgical skills.

Samadi, a pioneer surgeon in the field of robotics, performed all six robotic prostatectomies, with a minimal amount of blood loss, in less than two hours each. The surgery at Rambam was the first SMART surgery technique ever performed in Israel.

Rambam Medical Center serves as a referral center for eleven hospitals in the Tel Aviv region, unifying all fields of medical science and employing a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment - an approach that Samadi readily identifies with.

"I undertake robotic surgery with an open traditional and laparoscopic background, and in treating my patients, I take into account many different factors when prescribing prostate cancer treatment," Samadi said.

"Robotic surgery allows 97 percent of my patients to regain urinary control, and 85 percent  to regain sexual function and it helps me perform better with superior visual accuracy and a bloodless field."

Samadi also performed another live surgery at Tel Hashomer on Christmas Day, which was televised live on Fox News at 10:45 am EST. Samadi said he was excited to share his knowledge with the urologists in Israel during this weeklong educational trip. "The future was brought to Israel today," he said.