Originally posted May 31, 2012

Today I spent the day with Dr. Pierini, at the Ospedale di Aosta, in Italy.

I enjoyed a lot with a very interesting surgical session in which I performed two operations that underwent really well. I could demonstrate my italian colleagues the versatility of the GreenLight laser for the treatment of BPH. I demonstrated the anatomic vaporization of the prostate as well as the vaporization combined with enucleation of the median lobe. It was a delightful morning.

This italian region has wonderful mountains. I am a little sad to come and go so fast with little time to spend here enjoying this beautiful country.

Originally posted May 30, 2012

Today we received the visit of two urologists from Rome, Italy at Clínica CEMTRO. They came to see two operations, a GreenLEP procedure and an anatomic vaporization that both went very well!.

Originally posted May 30, 2012

Today I received the flyer announcing the congress of the GRILUR (Iberoamerican group for laser in urology) organized by Dr. Yépez Mora, from Hospital Carlos Andrade Marín in Quito, Ecuador.

Dr. Yépez has made a great effort to put together this congress and I see it is a program with a lot of live surgery, and surely a fantastic one. I encourage all urologists with interest in the use of laser in urology to attend.

Originally posted May 27, 2012

As every month I travelled to Bulgaria to operate at the Hill Clinic in Sofia. This time we had an italian visitor, Dr. Simone Crivellaro, who is very interested in learning the GreenLEP technique. Dr. Crivellaro is one of the italian urologists with more experience in the use of GreenLight laser for the treatment of BPH.

We did four enucleations that went really well, and we could use the chance to discuss all the technical details. It is impressive to operate patients with big prostates in less than 90 minutes, and send them home the following day... we had a great time together.
On monday I could return to Madrid sooner than I thought and I could rest a little before starting the week.

By the way, I was given this publication on a Bulgarian newspaper of an interview where I talked about the differences between GreenLight and other lasers...

Originally posted May 25, 2012

This thursday I flew to Torino, and after drove to Alba, a little beautiful small Italian city, to visit the Ospedale di Alba. There I met Dr. Fasolis, who had been visiting me in Madrid before, and Dr. Conti.

We did three surgeries that went really well. They were impressed by the versatility of GreenLight for treating BPH. I explained to them that this is not an occasional operation, it is important to specialize in it and to learn properly, understand very well the basic science and the laser-tissue interactions and to have a high volume of surgical procedures per month to be able to offer excellent results to patients.

Then I flew back to Madrid, I catched an earlier flight and it was a pleasure to have dinner at home!

Originally posted May 18, 2012

This morning I flew early in the morning to Alicante to visit the Hospital Internacional Medimar and to demonstrate the GreenLight XPS laser to Dr. Bartolomé Lloret and Dr. Albors.

We did two operations. I was impressed by the hospital and its project and I enjoyed the company of Dr. Lloret. Then I rushed to the airport, I had a surgical session also in Madrid in the afternoon.

Originally posted May 17, 2012

This was a busy week and I flew to Oporto to visit the Hospital in Gaia, to show Prof. Luis Ferraz and Dr. Manuel Pereira the GreenLight laser in action. We did three cases and all went very well. They are planning to implement an ambulatory GreenLight laser center which is a very clever idea in times of economic crisis.

Then I returned to Madrid after a very successful session.

Originally posted May 15, 2012

This time I travelled to the north of Italy, in a region of Italy where the main language is German, I did not know this.

I went to the Krankenhous Hospital, with Dr. Gozzi and his team to show the different techniques for treatment of BPH with the new GreenLight XPS 180 watt laser. Dr. Gozzi is well known in the urological world for the development of a prosthesis for the treatment of urinary incontinence in the male (Advance System) that has proven to be extremely useful.

We did four surgeries during the morning that went really well. Then I returned to Madrid after having made a new friend. I loved this region of Italy, I had to drive all the way to Bergamo to take the return plane, and I really enjoyed the spectacular panorama.

Originally posted May 11, 2012

This time I flew to Italy, Téramo, near the Apenines. There I had programmed a surgical session with four patients. I accompanied Prof. Vicentini, head of the department of urology as well as the two former heads of this same department, Prof. Miano and Prof. Laurentini (in the photo with me). We also had with us Dr. Naccarato.

I operated the whole day, and I also gave a talk on GreenLight technology to the members of the urology department. I showed them the GreenLEP technique, anatomic vaporization as well as vaporization with enucleation of the median lobe. All cases went very well.

At the end of the session we had this photo taken with the rest of the urology department members. It was an intense and fun session, a beautiful day. Then I returned driving to Bergamo, and slept there before coming to Madrid in the morning the following day.

Originally posted May 8, 2012

Today we received the visit at Clínica CEMTRO of three french urologists, Dr. Weidman, Faure and Schneider. They all have experience in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperpplasia with the new GreenLight XPS 180 watt laser, but they wanted to refine some surgical technique aspects and to witness the work we carry out in Madrid.

We had a very interesting session with four surgical operations, that went very well. I showed them the enucleation as well as the anatomic vaporization techniques. We had a great time and we could share experiences. A very fruitful session!

Originally posted May 4, 2012

I took the opportunity of a Bank Holiday in May to visit my friends. Dr. Daniel Porto and Dr. Javier Zeballos in Montevideo, Uruguay. There we had prepared two days of surgeries. When I arrived at Montevideo, the local press already knew about my trip.

We operated in the British Hospital several patients with BPH (Benign Prostate Hyperplasia) and the objective of the two sessions is to help Dr. Zeballos to familiarize himself with the GreenLEP technique (GreenLight Enucleation of the prostate).

Everything went fine. I had a great time once again with my friends in Uruguay and we all learned a lot. In July we agreed to meet again for the GRILUR (Iberoamerican urological laser group) meeting that will take place in Ecuador in July.

Originally posted May 1, 2012

Yesterday I received a message that made me happy. I have been invited by the United Arab Emirates Urological Society to give the closing talk of their annual congress. Although I have travelled extensively, I never went to Dubai, and I really look forward to it.

My brother Enrique, who works as a pilot for Etihad, one of the airlines from the UAE, lives in Abu Dhabi, close to Dubai. I hope to see him there soon.

I will work hard to prepare a good presentation.

Originally posted April 27, 2012

I spent thursday and friday in Rabat, Morocco, where I had to train Prof. Karim Tazi on the use of the GreenLight laser for the treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia.

We worked at the Clinique Souissi. It was a special pleasure to meet Prof. Tazi.

Originally posted April 24, 2012

This time I visited the Ospedale di Reggio Emilia where I worked with Dr. Francho Bergamaschi and with the new GreenLight XPS 180 watt laser.

It is a very modern and well equipped hospital, and Dr. Bergamaschi is very interested in laser treatment of BPH.

After the surgical session we had a meeting where I explained to the members of the urology department all the basic science behind this laser. Then I returned to Madrid, that same day, late at night.

This was published in the local press after my visit.

Originally posted April 23, 2012

This monday I operated with Dr. Francisco Juarez del Dago, from the Gabinete de Urología y Andrología of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. We collaborate often and it is always a pleasure to share with him. After a wonderful sunday together in Gran Canaria, we did two complex PVPs in San Roque Clinic.

Surgical weekend in Sofia

As every month I flew to Sofia for a weekend surgical session. In this occasion we had a foreign visitor. Dr. Jan Ebbing, from the Klinik für Urologie Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. He wanted to learn the GreenLEP (GreenLight enucleation of the prostate) technique, and as do a lot of these operations in two days at the Hill Clinic in Sofia, it was a good opportunity.

We were both interviewed for the Standard Newspaper, the most important diary in Bulgaria.

In this photo with Dr. Ebbing at the end of the surgical weekend.

Experts meeting in San José, California.

In this occasion I flew to San José to join an international experts committee where we discuss how should new lasers for the treatment of BPH evolve.

This committee is composed by Dr. Benjamin Choi (USA), Mayo Clinic Professor emeritus Dr. Reza Malek (USA), Dr. Mahmood Hai (USA), Dr. Karl Kemberling (USA) and Dr. Henry Woo (Australia), who could not be in this photo. It is always fascinating to think about the future of surgery of BPH and these are very interesting meetings.

Surgeries in Torino

When I arrived at Torino I went for dinner with Prof. Cesare M. Scoffone, an international expert in percutaneous renal surgery with a great interest in endourology.

We enjoyed a wonderful time tasting the local fish. The next morning we woke up early to go to the theatres of the Ospedale Cottolengo, where he had programmed four cases. I did three vaporizations and one prostate enucleation and I was delighted with Prof. Scoffone's reaction. He was amazed with the technology and the evolution of the surgical technique.

I also had the privilege of listening to Prof. Scoffone presenting his experience in percutaneous renal surgery and combined intrarenal surgery (double access to the kidney, both ureteroscopically and percutaneously). I talked to him about my colleague at ICUA, Dr. Luis Llanes, who is the newly appointed head of department of urology at the new hospital in Torrejón Madrid, a great expert in the same techniques and we thought to invite Prof. Scoffone soon to operate with us.

Finally I came back to Madrid, a little tired after 23 surgeries in the last six days.

Surgeries in Rome

After landing in Rome I took a taxi to go to the Policlinico Umberto Primo, Dipartimento Bracci, to operate two patients in the urological department of Prof. Gentile.

The session was shorter than usual, but also very interesting.

From Rome I flew again to Torino for the last day of this long italo-bulgarian roadshow.

Surgeries in Sofia

This time we had a busy surgical program me at Hill Clinic in Sofia. We operated 10 patients in two days, all of them with big, bulgarian prostates.

We did 9 enucleations and one vaporization. I still learn a lot with this sessions, every prostate is different and facing the challenge of making surgeries safer, faster, more efficient, patient after patient, makes me learn and evolve. There were two patients with prostates specially big, with 150 and 220 grams, that went very well.

I was interviewed for bulgarian TV.

On Saturday night I went to a restaurant where I could see the folk group Asen & Milena. A wonderful and totally recommendable music.

After the surgical weekend, I flew to Rome again.