Dr Scardino or Mani Menon ?

JWH,

I am not clear whether you are asking which appointment to keep or which to choose. If you are going to keep both appointments then it really comes down to which of the two you will feel most comfortable with and gives you the best sense of confidence. They both are very experienced and from that perspective you could not go wrong with either one of them. I have not read any stories of men that used Dr. Scardino but I have read several that have used Dr. Menon. One thing that came out of those stories is that Dr. Menon takes the time to listen and relate to his patients. He is a very religious person and in many cases has asked the wife to join him in the hospital's chapel to pray and thank God for the successful surgery that their husband just completed. I am sure with either one you will have the best outcome. I did not use either one so I am not biased one way or the other.

Tamu

Wow. What a choice. Two top surgeons. I don't know either one except by reputation so I have to give generic rather than specific advice. I agree with Tamu and Bluebird. Keep both appointments.

I am assuming that both are top surgeons with similar outcomes in terms of removing the cancer, urinary control, and return of sexual function. Given that, here are few things to look for and compare:

1: Bedside manner. Some surgeons are not the most people friendly. Usually you accept this to get a top surgeon but in your case, when comparing two top surgeons, go for the one that spends time talking to you.

2: Management of side effects especially "penile rehabilitation." Some surgeons do the operation and then feel like their job is done. Others have a complete program of dealing with side effects (particularly a penile rehabilition program such as medications, pumps, whatever.)

3: Operating schedule backlog. If you are unwilling to wait very long and one surgeon has a big backlog, that may drive your decision.

4: Insurance. Make sure both doctors and both hospitals are covered in network on your insurance. My hospital was but my doctor wasn't (actually he just required that we pay him in full and then seek reimbursement from our insurance company) which cost us about $3,000 more than it would have otherwise. We didn't care because we wanted him but all things being equal, you probably do.

5: Distance: Is one located close enough to you to use him in the future as you regular urologist? Is one or both willing to do this if they are close enough? My surgeon is too far away so I have both a surgeon and a local urologist and they aren't always on the same page.

Good luck,

Ben

Hi I used Dr. Menon 7/06. Menon gets very good results with cancer control & erectile function. In my case I got my erectile functon back in 6 weeks & the Dr. says there is a 96% chance my cancer is gone. I would highly recommend Dr.Menon

JWH: Sounds familiar. I also made several appointments and will tell you about them. But first, it is my understanding that Dr. Scardino does open while Menon does robotic. I tried to get an appointment with Scardino but could not and made an appointment with Dr. Esastham at Sloan instead for the end of Janauary. In the meantime I made and kept an appointment with Dr. Tewari at Cornell and Dr. Su at Hopkins, both robotic. I understand that Tewari trained under Menon and Su trained under Tewari. Now that I had both interviews ( and I made an appointment for surgery with both ) I am totally confused. Tewari has done more procedures than Su but Su has done a considerable amount. Su can do the procedure a month earlier than Tewari and spends more time in the operating room. I have spoken to many people including surgeon friends who first advise that can't make a mistake with either. Both are personable. The one thing that stands out by my wife ( of 43 years ) is that Su did his own exam but that Tewari had his assistant come in first for the exam. Barrister