New surgical session in Sofia, Bulgaria

As every month for the last five years, I travelled to Sofia to participate at a surgical session where we performed Green laser enucleation of the prostate in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia at Hill Clinic.

This time we did not have international visitors and was a more quite session. We did 10 operations and one of the patients had a huge prostate gland.

We were able to extract almost 200 grams of prostatic tissue from this patient (you have to deduct the 55 grams the plastic tissue basket weights).

All went very well and I returned happy to Madrid, although feeling a little bit of the "spring asthenia", e.g. wanting the summer to arrive to be able to rest!

Visitors to our surgical room from Portugal

Again we received visitors to our operating room at Clínica CEMTRO. This time we were visited by Prof. Estevao Lima (Hospital de Braga), Dr. Rui Borges (Hospital de Boavista), Dr. Luis Osorio (Centro Hospitalar de Porto) and Dr. Frederico Branco (Centro Hospitalar de Porto/Prelada).

They were interested in the new treatment techniques for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) with the GreenLight laser and they witnessed two cases, one in which I performed an En-bloc enucleation of the prostate and another case in which I performed an anatomic vaporization. The both went very well and I could ascertain how they enjoyed watching it. Then they had to rush to the airport to return to Portugal.

Training session in Modena with Dr. Ferrari

Again I travelled to Modena, Italy, to the Hesperia Hospital, to perform several operations in patients suffering from Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia with the GreenLight laser.

The session went very well and I could demonstrate the different techniques we use with this laser to the italian urologists who attended the session. All the cases went very well.

Dr. Ferrari always spoils us with an amazing parmesan cheese and vinegar from Modena from his own family's production, so delicious!

Live surgical transmission at the University Hospital of Coimbra, Portugal

This time I went to the University Hospital of Coimbra, Portugal, with Dr. Capitán, from the Hospital Fundación Alcorcón of Madrid. We had been invited to participate in a course on the treatment of BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) with the GreenLight laser.

My role was to perform two live surgical procedures that were transmitted to the meeting room at the Hospital. I performed an anatomic vaporization that went very well, and a GreenLEP procedure of a very large gland, that was difficult and laborious, but ended very well.

My colleague Dr. Capitán presented the results of the GOLIATH study that demonstrates that GreenLight vaporization has similar results to classic TURP (Transurethral resection of the prostate) with shorter hospitalization, catheterization time and complications. Also presented some publications on cost-effectiveness that showed that GreenLight is cheaper for the public health system than conventional surgery.

And finally Dr. Alfredo Mota, head of the department of Urology of the University Hospital of Coimbra did his final remarks, very impressed for what he had seen that day, seeing is believing!!!

Visitors to our surgical room

This time we received the visit of Dr. Javier Vicente Prados (Granada), Guillermo Olaizola (Clinica Zorrozaure, Bilbao), Fernando Díez Caballero (Clínica Universitaria de Navarra) and Pedro Lanzat (Hospital del Tajo). We were also honored by the visit of Dr. David Rendón, former colleague at ICUA, who came to update himself with the new techniques.

I performed four operations at Clínica CEMTRO and we had a good chance to comment the new techniques step by step (anatomic vaporization, vapo-enucleation and en bloc enucleation) in depth. We had a great time.

It is always a pleasure to receive visits from colleagues who share the same passion for what we do!

Surgeries in Portugal

This time I flew to Oporto and drove from there to the Hospital Nossa Senhora da Assunção in Seia, near the Star mountains. There Dr. Antonio Oliveira had prepared two patients to operate with the Green Laser Enucleation technique.

Both cases did very well and after having lunch in Seia we drove again to the Hospital Cliria, of the Group Espirito Santo Saude, where I performed a similar operation.

All patients did very well and it was an opportunity to show my Portuguese colleagues the wonders of Green Laser enucleation and morcellation with the Piranha system from Wolf.