Originally posted April 18, 2013

This month I travelled to Modena, Italy, in virtue of the collaboration agreement that my institution, the ICUA (Institute of advanced urological surgery) has with Dr. Giovanni Ferrari to come to Italy to operate on a regular basis at the Hospital Hesperia.

In this occasion I did four operations, two anatomic vaporizations, a vapo-enucleation with middle lobe enucleation, and a GreenLEP procedure, followed by morcellation of the adenoma.

We received the visit this time of Dr. Franco Montefiore Director of the urology department at Ospedale San Giacomo de Novi Ligure, Dr. Danilo Zani from Instituto Clínico Città de Brescia, Dr. Alberto del Nero of the Clínica Urológica San Paolo de Milán and Dr. Enrico Conti, Head of the urology department at the Ospedale San Lázaro de Alba accompanied by Dr. Fasolis.

With all of them I appear in these photos, Dr. Ferrari wears a white coat. It was a very interesting session and I  had a great time. That night I slept in Italy and departed early in the morning to Bulgaria.

Originally posted April 13, 2013

After a long trip with a stop in Istanbul, I arrived in Antalya to participate in the congress of the Turkish Association of Endourology.

My role was to participate in a round table with other experts in the surgical treatment of BPH.

I had a terrible cold, but managed to attend the session, which was celebrated in Turkish language, with simultaneous translation.

An interesting session, in which we covered all alternatives for the surgical treatment of BPH. I really hallucinated when I saw that there are still urologists who defend open prostatectomy as the ideal option! I enjoyed Dr. Ali Erol's very balanced comments.

It is always nice to visit Turkey.

Originally posted April 4, 2013

I landed in Torino at night, raining (what a long winter) and then I was picked up by a driver who took me to Ponte San Pietro.

The following morning I arrived at the Ospedale di Ponte San Pietro.

There, Oscar Fenice had programmed three patients to perform a surgical training session in which I had to help him with his first cases.

Everything went really well and we finished early, this laser is fast, and I could return a little earlier than expected to Madrid.

This saturday I was going to go to Croatia to perform a live surgical procedure in an Endourology congress, but I was informed that the surgical session was cancelled due to organizational problems. The truth is I was not sad to get a free weekend!

Originally posted March 24, 2013

I arrived early at Sofia from Istanbul, and I went directly to the Hill Clinic to start the surgical session. We had 14 patients to operate from Friday to Sunday.

My colleagues at Hill showed me this press article where they referenced our team at the Hill Clinic. The truth is that we work really well there with very high quality standards. Everything is efficient and patients do really well. This is certainly due to the great team we have formed there.

The operations went really well, the GreenLEP technique has improved over the years in our hands and it is now a fast operation (we take from 40 to 75 minutes, depending on prostatic sizes) and the new Vmax blades from the Wolf Piranha morcellator allow us to cut down the morcellation time and the total surgical time.

I am really happy with this operation and the Hill Clinic is no doubt the center in the world with more experience in this technique. I love to work there.

Then I returned to Madrid on Sunday, tired but happy as the easter holiday is starting.

Originally posted March 21, 2013

I spent the day today at the wonderful L'aquila, in Italy, surrounded by white mountains.

In the hospital they had prepared four cases to demonstrate all the technical variants of GreenLight XPS 180 watt laser. I performed an anatomic vaporization, a vapo-enucleation, an en-bloc enucleation and another vapo-enucleation.

A very intense morning, with Dr. Luigi Clemente, and other urologists that joined the session from other Italian Hospitals. I had a great time.

From L'aquila I drove to the airport at Fiumicino, to fly to Istanbul. I slept at the airport Hotel and departed in the morning to Sofia, to operate during the weekend in Bulgaria.

This year the EAU congress took place in Milano, Italy.

My participation consisted in the presentation of our multi center experience with the GreenLight XPS laser (Dr. Henry Woo, from Australia, presented our data).

Later on in the congress I chaired two courses on advanced techniques with the GreenLight XPS laser, in conjunction with Mr. Gordon Muir, from London.

First we discussed briefly the fundamentals of advanced techniques and then the attendees could try this laser with the new computer simulator from AMS, a technological wonder that allows surgeons to train virtually before engaging in real operations with patients.

A very interesting congress, full of new concepts and ideas. Urology never stops moving forward!

I had a very pleasant day at the Hospital in Lodi, headed by Dr. Lenardon, with the urology staff.

I did two operations with the GreenLight XPS láser that went very well. As always when urologists see these operations, and I teach them how to localize the surgical capsule of the prostate, they fall in love with the technique.

We took this photo, but the head of the department was not there to be in it...

Then I went to Milan to participate at the Congress of the European Association of Urology.

On wednesday night I departed to Rome, and I took a train the following morning to Florence, to reach the Hospital at Prato. There we performed three operations with the GreenLight XPS. The head of this department of urology, Dr. Bleferi, has a lot of experience with HoLEP, and was interested in getting to know this technology.

Then I went to Milan, where I had to perform surgeries the following day in a hospital in a city nearby, Lodi.

Originally posted March 8, 2013

This time I travelled to Rome to visit the Hospital at Tivoli, a nearby city, where I helped Dr. Antonino Laganà with his first cases of treatment of BPH (Benign prostatic hyperplasia) with the GreenLight XPS laser.

We did two surgical sessions on thursday and friday, that went really well. Dr. Laganà is a great surgeon and he learnt to perform the anatomic vaporization technique, where the prostatic capsule is localized. He was very good and learned it fast.

This technique is a sophistication of the standard PVP technique, that I developed to ensure that the prostatic adenoma is completely removed. Some people think it is difficult, but if an unexperienced urologist is able to do it in his second case it is evident that it is not so difficult. It just has to be taught properly.

Then I returned to Madrid to spend the weekend and rest a bit.

This time I travelled to Milano at night, and the next morning I woke up early to drive to the Hospital in Trento, to visit the urology department chaired by Dr. Gianni Malossini. They had prepared four patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia to be operated with the GreenLight XPS laser. Trento is in the north of Italy, a very beautiful city surrounded by impressive mountains.

I performed four operations during the morning, surrounded by the urologists of the department, and I could show the technical aspects of the use of this laser.

We did three vaporization cases and a GreenLEP (GreenLight Enucleation of the Prostate) that went really well. It was a very nice morning.

We enjoyed a nice lunch and then I returned driving to Milano, to take a plane back to Madrid.

Originally posted February 27, 2013

Today we received the visit of Dr. Giuseppe Naccarato, from Italy, who came to see our surgical session today of treatment of BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia) with the GreenLight XPS laser.

The visitors always leave impressed with the versatility of this laser, that allows for vaporization of the adenoma, as well as to enucleate it partially or totally. He commented that he wants to organize a meeting in his Hospital in May and that he wanted to invite me to perform a live surgery there.

Originally posted February 22, 2013

Again I travelled to Alba, Italy, to help Dr. Fasolis improve his surgical technique. After having performed a number of cases solo, I helped Dr. Fasolis to perform two operations in two patients who had benign prostatic hyperplasia that went really well.

It is quite easy to learn to perform a parcial deobstruction with GreenLight, what needs more training and learning a few tips and tricks is the localization of the prostatic capsule to allow for a complete removal of the adenoma.

Originally posted February 15, 2013

This time I arrived in Bulgaria from Istanbul. From the airport I went to Hill Clinic, where we had prepared a surgical session with 11 patients suffering from Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in two days.

The session went very well and it took place the day of my 45 birthday. My colleagues at Hill Clinic had prepared me a surprise, a picture inspired in Star Wars, where all the urologists from the clinic appeared with their laser sabers... I really loved it. I cannot hide that my fascination for lasers was born the day I watched this movie for the first time when I was 11 years old.

I always enjoy operating at Hill Clinic, the work atmosphere is exceptionally good and operating so many patients in a short time is always a wonderful learning and technical improvement experience.

We celebrated my birthday with a wonderful chocolate cake! Thank you very much Hill Clinic!

Originally posted February 14, 2013

Again I travelled to Modena to operate with Dr. Giovanni Ferrari. It had snowed and it was very cold. Dr. Ferrari had prepared four patients and we had a very interesting surgical session where I performed a GreenLight Enucleation (GreenLEP), a vapo-enucleation and two anatomic vaporizations. Everything went very well.

We had the visit of two urologists from other Italian hospitals to watch the operations. We stopped to eat some pasta in the middle of the session.

I enjoy these sessions with Dr. Ferrari in Modena. That night I took a flight to Istanbul and I slept at the airport to leave to Sofia, Bulgaria, the next morning.

Originally posted February 12, 2013

Yesterday I received an invitation to participate at a congress with live surgery transmission in Croatia in the month of April. I am asked to perform two operations in two different days. The program looks very attractive!

Originally posted February 9, 2013

I spent the weekend with Dr. Juarez en Gran Canaria, the head of the Gabinete de Urología y Andrología.

He invited me to help him with a patient who had a huge prostate gland, and we performed a GreenLight Enucleation technique.

Everything went really well. The patient had carried a urethral catheter for six years (sometimes we surgeons see this kind of thing, impossible to understand how he bore this). The next morning we took out the catheter and he could void perfectly.

As always, I enjoyed very much Dr. Juarez's company and we had a great time in Gran Canaria enjoying the atmosphere of the carnival.

Originally posted February 7, 2013

This time I traveled early to Bologna to visit the Hospital in San Giovanni in Persiceto, with Dr. Bulli and Dr. Bordini. They had prepared three high risk cases to operate with the GreenLight XPS laser.

I performed three operations in the morning that went really well, and I could show the subtleties of the capsular localization technique. I had a great time, they were all so nice people. Then we had a lunch that they kept jealously in the doctor's room.

Then I went to Verona to return to Madrid via Munich, that was all covered in snow. I was lucky we could finally depart. The following day I had to travel to Gran Canaria to operate with my good friend Dr. Juarez.

Originally posted February 6, 2013

Today we received the visit from two foreign urologists. Mr. Stuart Lloyd, from the UK and Dr. Canclini, from Italy, at Clínica CEMTRO

I performed three operations, showing the anatomic vaporization, the vapo-enucleation and the ejaculation preserving technique and we had a very nice afternoon commenting all the technical details.

Originally posted January 31, 2013

Today I drove to the brand new Hospital de Torrejón to help my friends urologists at the hospital to perform their first cases of HoLEP (Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate). It is a very difficult to learn technique for the surgeon, and I helped them through the operations. My nurse Vanesa came with me to instruct the local nurses in the subtleties of the instrumentation of this technique.

We did two cases that went very well. Dr. Luis Llanes is the head of the department of Urology at this hospital and my colleage as well at Clinica CEMTRO. I liked the Hospital very much and I enjoyed being with my friends sharing my passion for laser surgery of the prostate!

Originally posted January 31, 2013

I have received an invitation to participate in the World Congress of Videourology that will take place in Casablanca in April, to participate in a session on the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Originally posted January 30, 2013

Today we had 3 laser surgeries scheduled, and we had 3 visitors from Israel who wanted to witness the procedures!

Originally posted January 28, 2013

This time I flew to Milano, where I slept, and then I woke up early to take a train to Bologna, to visit the Ospedale Santa Ursula Malpighi, chaired by Prof. Giuseppe Martorana. It is the second biggest hospital in Italy and I was impressed to know that the department of urology had 73 beds!

There they had prepared a surgical session with 5 patients, we did 4 vaporizations and one GreenLEP (GreenLight Enucleation of the prostate) in a record time. We worked in two operating rooms simultaneously, and as I was finishing one operation they were preparing the next patient, so I worked non stop all morning. Quite an experience, and all cases went really well.

This way the urology department could ascertain the versatility of the GreenLight Laser for the treatment of BPH, with the different variants, vaporization, vapo-enucleation and enucleation followed by morcellation.

Then I gave a brief talk to the residents of the department on this laser. Dr. Martorana invited me to participate in a congress with live surgery in his department later this year.

I went to have some delicious pasta and then I returned by train to Milano to take the flight to Madrid. A great experience!