Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Trip to Moscow (part 2)

Today the plan was a little bit different... we would go to visit Hospital number 50 in Moscow. The department of Urology of this hospital is chaired by the famous Prof. Dmitry Pushkar, it is impressive, with more than 50 urologists and 200 urological beds. They perform 50 urological surgical procedures per day.

First it was my turn to demonstrate the new Greenlight HPS laser in action in a patient in retention with a prostate of 60 grams, which was a little bit difficult but finalised without much trouble (it received 550.000 joules).



Then Prof. Pushkar invited me to see how he repaired a vesico-vaginal fistula through the vaginal approach in a patient submitted to external beam radiation therapy for a cervix cancer with the interposition of a Martius flap. It was really impressive, a very complex case operated with simplicity and mastery, truly spectacular.



Then, after a brief visit to the hospital we went to the hotel, where I could sleep for a little while and had time to review my presentation for the following day. Then I went to the congress dinner, where I met my friend Prof. Jens Uwe Stolzenburg, (in the center of the photo below) with whom I had a good chance to talk for a while. Jens is one of the most seasoned laparoscopists in the world, and has visited us in Madrid tohelp us operate complex cases.


Then I went back to the hotel, where I communicated via videoconference with my school mates. 25 years had passed since the last time I saw many of them and a 25th years aniversary dinner was being celebrated... and I was in Moscow!!!

It was really nice to be able to greet them thanks to skype... it was truly emotive to see them and to be able to chat with the teachers I had when I was a child... Aula Nueva, a little big school, I started there when I was 8 years old, and I left when I was 14... the best of me was forged during those years in that school... thank you all!!!


No comments: