Surgeries in Las Palmas

Again I flew to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to operate with Dr. Juarez. He had prepared three patients and everything run smoothly as always. This time I did not remember to take photos until we finished surgery....



Dr. Juarez is getting ready to read his doctoral thesis soon. We were reviewing it together and it is an impressive piece of work. Francisco Juarez is an expert in reconstruction of the seminal ducts (microsurgical vasectomy reversal) and presents in his thesis impressive results. I will come back here to see his disertation.

Annual Congress of the American Urological Association

I spent from the 17th-24th of May in Orlando, Florida. At tne Annual Congress of the American Urological Association.

This year my participation consisted in the presentation of two posters, in collaboration with the IGLU (International Greenlight Users) Group. After our meeting in Madrid in June last year, we decided to gather the data from our patients treated with the Greenlight HPS laser in 7 international centers, and lastly we were presenting the conclusions of our studies in two separate posters.



One was presented by Dr. Shahin Tabatabei, from the Massachussets General Hospital, and the second poster by Dr. Henry Woo, from Sydney, Australia (although the man in the photo below is Mr. Gordon Muir, from London, also a member of the IGLU).

We also used the opportunity to plan new studies and new publications... We had several very fruitful discussions. On the other hand, it has been a vibrant congress, full of new concepts and discoveries...

The last day I had time to visit the Universal Studios, a wonderful place. I saw the Hulk passing by and I took a photo with him... (It is the only photo I took of myself during the congress).

Surgery in Thesaloniki

From Athens I flew to Thesaloniki with Dr. Dimitris Hatzichristou, the first urologist from this city to use the new Greenlight HPS 120 watt system. He had invited me to operate a difficult patient with a 150 gram prostate, he wanted to see with his own eyes how these cases can be handled with the Greenlight HPS laser.

Interestingly, he had also invited my colleague at the Institute of Advanced Urological Surgery, Dr. Ignacio Moncada, who was travelling there to perform a penile implant in a patient with a very difficult clinical situation. We both operated at Saint Lucas Hospital, a private center with an impressive technological and human dotation.

Both operations were complex, but successful. I had to use the suprapubic trocar to improve irrigation and I used 800.000 joules, at the end I was very happy with the outcome of the case.

In the photo, Dr. Dimitris Hatzichristou and Dr. Moncada before entering the hospital. When we finished, we went back to Madrid. There was no time to try the local famous Ouzo...

Conferences in Athens

This Friday I flew to Athens to participate in the meeting "Athenian Days of Urology", invited by the Greek urological society. This is an extremely popular scientific meeting where 450 urologists gather. I had to talk about the new results of the HPS laser and how to deal with big prostates... There were other international invited speakers, and very prestigious ones, like Patrick Walsh (the father of anatomic radical prostatectomy), David Neal, Philippe Grange, and so on... with a fantastic scientific programme.

The meeting room was full, because the greenlight is generating a great interest lately worldwide... and there were lots of questions at the end. The moderator of the session was my friend Gerasimos Alivizatos, the biggest expert in greenlight in Greece and a recognized european expert in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.


Then I took the opportunity to visit the Parthenon, and I walked for two hours in Athens, a very nice experience...This afternoon I will fly to Thessaloniki, as tomorrow I will be operating there a patient with a 150 gram prostate...

Surgical day in Vigo

Last Tuesday I flew to Vigo, in Galicia, to help my colleagues David Jamardo, Miguel Devesa and Vicente García Riestra to initiate their experience with the Greenlight HPS laser is the Hospital Nuestra Señora de Fátima. First we had a wonderful lunch with octopus, mussles, peppers, "empanada" and "tortilla de patatas" and then we went to the Hospital where we operated three cases.

This event had a lot of impact in the local press, we even received the visit of Spanish TV during the operations...

http://www.atlantico.net/noticia/45362/L%C3%A1serverde/F%C3%A1tima/

http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/362575/0/UNIDAD/laser/prostata/

http://www.soitu.es/soitu/2008/03/25/info/1206442082_608769.html

All the cases were successful and then I rushed back to Madrid. This time I did not get many good photos...

Cirugías en Gran Canaria

On Sunday I flew to Gran Canaria, my friend, Dr. Juarez, had prepared a busy surgical session on Monday. We operated four patients and one of them had a 130 gram prostate. All operations were smooth and easy (I delivered 825.000 Joules to the big prostate), and we enjoyed the session a lot.



In the image, Dr. Juarez, who is rapidly becoming an expert surgeon... I love to come to Gran Canaria, it is a very special place...

Conference in Oslo, "Leading Lights in Urology"

After returning from Mexico on thursday, I took a plane to Oslo, to participate in a meeting named "Leading Lights in Urology", organised by the European Association of Urology and sponsored by Astellas.

The programme was designed to review the current treatment of hiperactive bladder, BPH and prostate cancer. I was invited to review the scientific works on new technologies for the treatment of BPH presented at the European Association of Urology meeting, celebrated in Milan.

I had prepared a multimedia presentation reviewing the role of laparoscopy, TURP, bipolar TURP, bipolar vaporization and the growing role of lasers.


It was sad not to be able to stay in Oslo for longer.... this was the view I had from my hotel room...


I would have loved to visit the Vigeland park again, with its marvelous sculptures. I visited it 15 years ago, and I was fascinated by Vigeland's powerful sculptures.... I really love Norway... it is a wonderful country.

Conference at the Mexican Urology Congress

Today I had to give a conference on "Applications of uroselective alpha blockers in the treatment of BPH" in the annual congress of the Mexican College of Urology, that takes place these days in Monterrey.

Monterrey is an industrial city with more than 6 million inhabitants, enormous. It is unfortunate that I cannot stay here for longer, as I have to rush back to Madrid.

I was referring to the medical treatment of BPH and specially to the relationship between lower urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction, as well as the impact of medical treatment in sexuality. There was a lot of people in the auditorium, and the congress seemed very well organised. I met Dr. Claus Roerbohrn briefly, and I also saw that my friend Dr. Gaspar Ibarluzea was in the programme, but I did not have the time to see him.

Now I need to pack and return to the airport... it is a pity I cannot stay longer...

Conference in Berlín

This Friday I travelled to Berlín, Germany, to participate in a meeting of the German Greenlight Users. In this country there are 95 hospitals using Greenlight lasers to treat their patients suffering from Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Here I met my friends Dr. Oliver Reich and Dr. Alexander Bachmann, who also participated in the meeting.


After this presentation, there was a discussion with the attendees that was very interesting. There is a great interest for this technology in Germany. Then I rushed back to Madrid.

Training session at Hospital Quirón, Barcelona

Today I went to Barcelona, took a plane early in the morning. It looks as if the air shuttle Madrid-Barcelona is less busy after the recent inauguration of the high-speed train...

After a terrible traffic Jam to reach Hospital Quirón (It took more to reach the hospital from the airport than from Madrid to Barcelona...) I demonstrated the technique operating the first patient in the surgical list, and then I helped Dr. Serrate to perform his first case. He was careful enough to choose patients with small prostates for this session, and everything was uneventful and he did a great job in his first case... We had a great time together and then I returned to Madrid.

Invitation to Australia

I just received the official invitation to travel to Sydney to participate in a Greenlight laser prostatectomy workshop, invited by Dr. Woo. The meeting's programme is very complete and attractive. We will perform live surgery in easy and not so easy cases... The final programme can be downloaded here. A great oportunity to visit Australia, and a great ocassion to update your knowledge on Greenlight HPS prostatectomy.

Greenlight HPS surgical technique video by the IGLU

This is the video I presented at the European Association of Urology Annual Congress with the surgical recomendations of the IGLU Group (International Greenlight Users). It explains the step by step approach to Greenlight HPS laser prostatectomy.

Interview in Greek TV

Today I got this video of an interview on Greenlight HPS laser vaporization of the prostate that took place during the European Association of Urology Annual Congress. I do not understand what they say!!!

Video presentation at the European Urology Congress

Today I presented a video on the surgical recommendations of the IGLU (International Greenligh Users Group) on Greenlight HPS laser prostatectomy at the European Urology Congress. It was programmed to be presented at the main auditorium, and there were countless urologists from all over the world in the room. The video explains a step by step approach to greenlight HPS laser prostatectomy. I will try to upload it here when I get back to Madrid.

In this image, during the questions and answers turn.

European Association of Urology Congress

Yesterday was the kick-off day for the Annual Congress of the European Association of Urology, with more than 9000 delegates from all over the world. I think it is the second most important congress in urology, after the American congress. In the afternoon, we celebrated a simposium on the new Greenlight HPS laser for the treatment of BPH. The symposium has coincided with the publication of our European Urology Supplement where we present the technical recommendations and the first wolrdwide results published on the treatment of BPH with this laser.


The symposium was moderated by Dr. Jean de la Rossette (right) and Dr. Alex Bachmann (left), Dr. Oliver Reich and myself did the presentations. The conference room was packed, with more than 400 attendees from all over the world.


First I spoke on recommendations on training and surgical technique, then Alex presented the results of the multicentric prospective study we are carrying out and finally Oliver spole on the use of this laser for the treatment of patients with big prostates, high risk patients and those under anticoagulation.


It was a very interesting symposim, we had many questions from the floor... a real success. Tomorrow I am presenting the video with technical recommendations that I will try to post here...

New visit to Jedda, Saudi Arabia

I am writing this entry to the blog from the airport in Istanbul, Turkey. I am returning to Madrid from Saudi Arabia, where I have been invited to train the urologists from Hospital King Abdul Aziz, from Jedda.

Here I found two friends; Dr. Hassan Farisi, who recently came to visit me in Madrid, and Dr. Abdulmalik Tayib, who also came to Madrid in the past and who I visited at the International Medical Center in Jedda.

We did seven operations with the new Greenligth HPS laser that went fine, in two very intense surgical sessions.

I had a chance to visit Jedda a little, an impressive city due to its size and a very modern one... this artificial geiser shoots water up to 200 meters. It is the highest in the world. I laughed with some of the urologists from this hospital comparing this to the flow I hope all patients will have after the operation... In sum, a new experience, very interesting, new friends... but I am quite tired after this... so I hope to rest a little during the Easter Holidays next week.

Visitor from Germany

Today I had the enormous pleasure of receiving the visit of Dr. Rainer Smith, an expert KTP laser user from Hamburg, Germany, who came to share his experiences with me. He watched two procedures and we had time to talk and exchange ideas and opinions. He is a delightful man and we enjoyed a lot together. I took a photo with him, but he bent down... he is really much taller than I am.

Inauguration of the first Greenlight laser in Venezuela

This weekend I flew to Caracas, to help with the first greenlight HPS laser installed in Venezuela, invited by the Instituto de Clínicas y Urología Tamanaco and Equisa, the distributor of AMS in Venezuela. I flew with Air Europa, who lost my suitcase... apparently it went to Cuba instead... I think I will never fly with a suitcase again...

We started with two talks in the morning, with the attendance of more than 80 urologists, and then I performed two operations that were transmitted to the meeting room. Both operations went really well.



The session was a huge success and there was a great deal of euphoria in the room... All urologists present had heard and read a lot about Greenlight laser vaporization of the prostate and were anxious to seeing it live, and they were not dissapointed.

After the meeting, I helped Dr. Vargas to operte three additional patients, and after a long and hard day we went to celebrate to a fantastic restaurant where we tried the best Venezuelan meat cuts... I enjoyed a lot, but at the end of the dinner the jet lag got me... so I went to sleep.

Today Dr. Juan Carlos Vargas is taking me out to see Caracas, and then back to the airport, still without my suitcase, but happy after a wonderful weekend in Venezuela.

Online Publication of our European Urology Supplement

Today I received the news that European Urology Supplements has published online the collection of articles we have been working on after the second meeting of the IGLU Group (International Greenlight Users) that was held in Madrid in July.

We invited Prof. Reza Malek, from the Mayo Clinic, the pioneer investigator of the use of the Greenlight laser to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia to write the introduction, and we prepared four papers on history, surgical technique, recommendations for training, results in patients subgroups, and an article on complications and how to avoid them.

We hope this supplement will help to standardize the surgical technique for Greenlight HPS vaporization of the prostate, and help all urologists worldwide who are using this technique or are interested in using it.

Multinational visitors...

This thursday and friday I received the visit of three prestigious urologists from different countries. We were honoured by the visit of a urologist from Jedda, Saudi Arabia, Denmark, and Belgium.

We enjoyed both surgical sessions and also very interesting conversations. We also had time to eat the spanish way...