American Urological Association Annual Congress in Atlanta

Tomorrow will be the last day of the AUA Annual congress. This is the most important urological meeting in the world, and every year new tendencies and technologies are presented. I try to visit the USA every year, because here is where important new treatments and trends are presented. It has been a hard congress, because apart from attending scientific sessions, I had a lot of work.
Laserscope invited me to do two presentations on advanced concepts in Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate. I also had the honour of being invited to participate in an informative session addressed to laserscope's investors, with Dr. Collins and Dr. Malloy, two world class surgeons and expert users of the GreenLight laser. I exposed my views on this technique and its future and I explained how fast it is being adopted by urological surgeons in Europe. There is a webcast available at laserscope's website, if anyone is interested to hear it).
Apart from that, I presented a poster on my experience with this technique in the congress. My contribution was to prove that as the surgeon gets more experience with Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate, postoperative complications, although not serious, are reduced and also the energy used and the operative time diminish with experience.


It has been a tough but very interesting congress. I had the oportunity to try extensively the new higher power GreenLight laser, the brand new HPS system (High Performance System), and I have been able to confirm that it is an instrument far better than the KTP Greenlight laser we have been using, specially because it will make operating larger prostates much easier. After this initial experience, I have been invited to present it at the National Urological Congress in Spain, that will take place in Seville the 10th of July. Then we will take the HPS system to Madrid, where we will be able to start using it.
With 120 watts power and a colimated beam, a pedal to vaporize and another pedal to coagulate, operating with it will probably feel as driving a Ferrari. This coupled with its safety, will make the best ever existing laser for BPH...


Tomorrow I will attend the take home messages session at the congress and I will fly back to Madrid. I am desperate to see my daughters...