Despite the supposed freedom to choose one's own doctor, few of us in
the US are entirely free to choose a surgeon.   Usually our health
insurance plans restrict us to certain preferred providers.  Also, even
if there were no such restrictions, common sense suggests that the very
best surgeons can handle only a limited number of cases.   The first
thing is to check the surgeons qualifications by seeing where he did his
training.  Also, ask him how many such procedures he has done and how
often he does them.  Similarly for the hospital where the procedure will
be performed.  Also, ask about typical results for a patient like
yourself with respect to recurrence rates and side effects.  In the US,
you can call one of the centers such as those at Johns Hopkins or Sloan
Kettering and ask for a reference to a local surgeon.  Walsh in his
Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer gives a list of questions to pose to
a potential surgeon.

Keep in mind that it is the skill of the particular surgeon that counts,
not whether or not he is famous.  But you can compare the results your
surgeons reports with that from the best surgeons.   For example, in a
man under 60, the best surgeons can preserve potency in 80 percent or
more of their patients.  If your surgeon has a success rate of 40
percent for such men, he is clearly not proficient in that aspect of the
procedure.  On the other  hand, even the very best surgeons have little
luck preserving potency in men over 70.

My case might be instructive.  I just went to the urologist my primary
care physician referred me to, and it turned out he has one of the
better reputations in the area. At the time I considered trying to have
the surgery done at Hopkins by Dr. Walsh or one of his colleagues,
paying for it myself, but I decided the chances of a cure in my case
would not be significantly different and the chances of avoiding
impotence at age 66 not enough higher to justify the cost.  My surgeon
certainly seemed to have done well with me, so I have no regrets.

At the time, there weren't any "star" surgeons in the area, but since
then Dr. William Catalona has moved to Northwestern in Chicago, and at
least one man posting here has used him.  Paradoxically, were I deciding
today,  I probably would still not be able to use Dr. Catalona unless I
wanted to pay for the procedure myself because his medical group doesn't
accept my particular health plan, which is one of the largest in
Illinois.   And, both Dr. Catalona and I are Northwestern faculty, he in
the Medical School and I in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Here's one thing I did.  I went to this page:

http://www.yananow.net/Experiences.html

scrolled to the surgery section, and actually clicked on each entry.  The
first paragraph in most cases tells you where the person lives, so you can
skip those not in UK.   I actually found 2 or 3 this way who either had
direct experience with a surgeon I was already contemplating, or who knew of
him.   Everyone I contacted was delighted to help.  Yes, it's tedious, but
you might find a precious lead this way.  Just a thought.  Good luck and
good health,

RonL

If you are not confident of the treatment in the UK and have the money
(maybe UKP20K, maybe quite a lot less), you could have it done here in
the USA by one of the top men. The secret is in negotiating some
all-inclusive costs up front, otherwise you get skinned.