Dr. Thomas Edward Ahlering, MD

Dr. Ahlering is quite simply the gold standard for robotic prostate surgery. The hospital and virtually everyone I was in contact with was superior. This is a well oiled team of medical professionals with a great leader in Dr. Ahlering. 5 stars al the way!

I had my prostate removed 4 weeks ago in Irvine by Dr Ahlering I have been back working full time for a week. I travelled from Idaho for the surgery and admire and appreciate Dr Ahlering for his great professional expertise and for his caring attitude. His entire staff were A+. They truly have been my guardian angels.

I have been cancer free for over 13 years with PSA's <.1 He saved my life!!

Similar to the hundreds of men across the country, when diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, I was gripped with uncertainty and fear. My first priority was to find the absolute best Urologist surgeon in the world to help me survive. Luckily, I found him and his wonderful office staff, Anna and Lydia, who were available 24/7 during my journey. Of course, you can read all about his ground-breaking, nerve-saving robotic surgery on his website, but every man is different. In my case, I can tell you that 7 days after surgery following the catheter removal, I had full control of my bladder, and I had no erectile dysfunction. Dr. Ahlering not only saved my life, but improved its quality. I'm now ten days post surgery, fully functional, back to a normal routine and with an excellent prognosis. I'm now looking forward to many years ahead. I can't express in these few lines how much gratitude I feel for this gifted surgeon and his wonderful staff.

I recently underwent a robotic prostatectomy procedure by Dr. Thomas Ahlering. I found him to be very direct, extremely knowledgeable, patient, and compassionate. My experience was spectacular from the moment I first contacted the Assistant to Dr. Ahlering, Lydia Cruz, to discuss my elevated PSA to when I returned to Oregon one week following the surgery. I'll be the first to admit I'm a sensitive guy when it comes to anything dealing with needles and pain. However, I experienced very little post-surgical pain, very little blood, and what pain I did have was easily managed by Motrin. One week after surgery, I was walking two miles a day, and when the catheter was removed, I was fully continent! As I write this coming up upon my 3rd-week post surgery, I'm back swimming at 1/2 my pre-surgical workout and walking 4 miles in between swim days. My outcome was the best I could have possibly imagined. I sincerely believe that this was the result of Dr. Ahlering’s surgical skill,… the vast experience he has obtained over the thousands of robotic surgeries he has performed, and the time and care that he takes throughout the operation. My entire surgical procedure was flawlessly executed from start to finish with everyone on the team working in perfect concert. Watching all of this unfold when I wasn't under anesthesia gave me an overwhelming sense of comfort. After my original diagnosis of a rising PSA at the age of 54, my physician recommended a prostate biopsy. Researching online at the time, I learned that biopsies were not always accurate. I reached out to a good friend who is a professional in the field of urology robotics, and he gave me his list of the top 3 urological surgeons. Dr. Ahlering being at the top of that list as a highly respected original adopter of robotic surgery for prostatectomies, and widely known as a constant innovator of surgical techniques to maximize the best possible outcome for patients. He is also passionate in his research and advocacy for the early screening and treatment of this disease and also has the reputation of being the surgeon that other doctors and surgeons turn to when diagnosed with prostate cancer. After meeting with Dr. Ahlering and discussing my options for biopsy, I settled on a contrasted multi-parametric 3 Tesla MRI with an MRI guided needle biopsy. Unlike other biopsies, the contrasted MRI procedure is non-invasive and does not involve the older method of using a Trans-Rectal Ultrasound, or TRUS. Once the MRI results highlighted the potential cancer sites, the same process was used to verify the accurate biopsy needle placement. Multi-parametric MRI guided needle biopsies assure the most precise core samples of the suspect tissue "the first time." This procedure is becoming the standard biopsy method over the ultrasound-guided biopsy methods. Unfortunately, my test results were positive for two of the three sites tested, and I ended up with a Gleason 3+3 or 6, PIRAD-4, PSA Density 0.014 ng ml/cc. After my diagnosis, I set off on a path of extensive online research. Over the coming months, we met and talked with numerous other professionals involved with various protocols both mainstream and research. These included Brachytherapy, Proton Beam therapy, High-Intensity Focal Ultrasound (HIFU), Focal Laser Ablation, and "Watchful Waiting." I also spoke with other prostate cancer survivors who had all had undergone various types of protocols. At the same time, I started an intensive physical training program and reduced my intake of unhealthy foods, replacing them with nourishing alternatives. I began to walk as much and as far as possible, increased my swimming to develop core strength and lean body mass, and added weight and TRX training to my program. My training also helped me deal with the stress of my diagnosis and all my research leading up to my decision for the best course of treatment. At a total of 22 months had passed since my original diagnosis and I was even hopeful that in seeing my PSA drop from 5.8 to 4.2 that somehow I was getting on top of this. However, another multi-parametric MRI showed cancer still active. Over this time of exhaustive research, countless discussions with Dr. Ahlering who all the while remained very understanding with me, leaning on “watchful waiting,” and hoping for a pill of some type for a cure, I finally scheduled my surgery with Dr. Ahlering. The post-surgical biopsy came back showing advancement in my grade of the prostate cancer, a Gleason 3+4; now my Gleason 6 became a Gleason 7 within 22 months. However, I was still fortunate that my cancer remained within the prostate and my margins were negative or clean. The change in my Gleason score from a 3+3 to a 3+4 elevated the probability of the return of my prostate cancer from near 0 to 10 percent. Having conducted numerous studies on the effects of diet and exercise on prostate cancer patients, Dr. Ahlering is confident that as I move past my surgery and continue with my healthy lifestyle, I can lower the 10 percent significantly. I feel incredibly relieved that I’m fully continent and no longer dealing with the thought of carrying cancer that I had for the last 22+ months. I give full credit to Dr. Ahlering for the success of my robotic surgical procedure. However, he stressed the importance to me that the patient has a lot of control over the successful outcome as well. By preparing and being in their best nutritional and physical shape possible and following the post-surgical recovery recommendations, a patient can improve the surgical and recovery processes dramatically. I cannot finish without mentioning the fantastic surgical support team. Throughout my experience at the surgical center of MiVIP, from pre-surgery to post-surgery, everything was executed with the utmost care and consideration

An exhausting study coupled with insider feedback lead me to select Dr. Ahlering and Robotic Prostatectomy. A 40 years career in surgery, urologist friends references , many personnel friends from the robot company comments, clinical research in all the professional venues and having observed the procedures open, laparoscopic and robotically I was sold on this combination of doctor and treatment. At 64, pain was .5, due to anesthesia, which surprisingly had no shoulder pain, no pain medication every taken or needed. Shocking! Zero leakage and felt 100% ready to play golf 7 days post op. Passed of course. The A-team at surgery center, Ana and Lydia and Dr. Ahlering patiently and timely responded to all request. The team was great and each person was experienced and very knowledgeable. I can't underscore enough that this practice focuses exclusively on the prostate. The data was painstaking validated so the margins could be best managed. In my selection I would have traveled… anywhere in the US to get the best surgical hands to treat this fragile anatomy, without a doubt this center is top 5 clinically and I was his 1,700 robotic patient. The focus is unequaled patient care which is a scarcity in todays modern medicine. I'm cancer free, no post op complications and looking forward to the 90 day PSA 0 validation.

Dr Ahlering and his staff are amazing. It's been a while since a ran across a doctor and staff that were so kind. Dr. Ahlering is at the pinnacle of his field and is committed to implementing better and better ways to conduct robotic prostatectomy. I highly recommend him. I was completely continent one week after surgery.

He is an A plus doctor. They do not come anymore qualified or dedicated than Dr. Ahlering.

Excellent surgeon and professional in all aspects. Dr. Thomas Ahlering has done close to 1500 robotic surgeries. He knows his stuff and takes pride in his work. His staff is top notch and very caring. I would highly recommend him. I had surgery 10 days ago and all is going very well with my recovery. I'm off all medications and everything is working just as they were prior to surgery. I am very thankful to Dr. Ahlering and his staff.

After considerable research, including the prospect of using proton treatment, I elected to use Dr. Alhering to treat my prostate cancer. I was impressed by every aspect of my pre and post-op. What was absolutely amazing is that I was pad free (no leakage) only one day after removing my catheter. Now, only 10 days since surgery, my prospects for having normal sexual function already looks good. It could hardly get any better than that. Great job, Dr. Ahlering.