Originally posted May 26, 2015

Today we received some visitors to our operating room at Clinica CEMTRO who came to see the new surgical techniques for the treatment of BPH with the GreenLight laser.

We received the visit of two french urologists, Dr. Christophe Pollux and Dr. Mathieu Demesmaeker from the hospitals Aunay Sur Boix y Marne la Vallu and Dr. Carlos Vallejo from Hospital CIMA in Barcelona.

Everything went very well, as always in these sessions we spoke comprehensively about all the details of this amazing surgical procedure for the treatment of BPH.

Originally posted May 21, 2015

This week we kicked off the robotic surgery unit at ICUA-Clínica CEMTRO. Dr. Richard Gastón came to operate 9 patients in three days of intensive surgery. All the operations went very well and I am very proud of the high quality robotic surgical team we have created.

Assisting Dr. Gaston during the surgical session

We had visited Clinique Saint Agustin in Bordeaux several times to copy step by step all the processes, all the tricks, al the materials they use there. We had trained all the personnel involved, nurses, auxiliary personnel, anesthetists, and of course our urology team. We also did courses on the operation of the new Da Vinci Xi Robot as they do not have it in Bordeaux yet.

Dr. Richard Gastón, a team member at ICUA, operating with the Da Vinci Xi

Everything went very well. The intensive training of all involved really paid off. We could do the operations as we had planned and we all felt comfortable and happy, each of us with our own function and Dr. Gaston felt very comfortable with the support of the team at ICUA and Clinica CEMTRO and with the new Da Vinci Xi robot, that brings new advantages for the surgeon and the patient compared to the older system.

With Dr. Romero preparing a patient prior to docking the robot

We are very happy for two reasons:

- One, to be able to offer our patients the most advanced technology in the diagnosis of prostatic diseases (with our prostate mapping system, Biopsee, for the diagnosis of prostate cancer based on 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging fusion), and also in the treatment of Benign prostatic Hyperplasia (GreenLight laser and Holmium laser) and prostate cancer (Da Vinci Xi Robot, Criosurgery, Focal One- HIFU).

- Two, to bring together the unmatchable experience of Dr. Gastón in robotic surgery of urological cancer with our huge experience in the minimally invasive treatment of BPH with laser.

This positions us as one of the centers in the world with more experience in the treatment and diagnosis of prostatic diseases. It is not so easy to find another center where patients can benefit from so much experience.

It is a true privilege to be able to work in optimal conditions with cutting edge technology.

After eight years of collaboration with Dr. Gastón in conventional laparoscopic surgery, now we enter the world of the most advanced surgery hand by hand with a true master of surgery.

Originally posted May 19, 2015

Again I went to the annual congress of the AUA, this time in New Orleans. My role in this congress was to participate as faculty in the course on Green Laser surgery and more specifically to speak about surgical technique for vaporization and enucleation.

The congress was as always very interesting, featuring a lot of novelties in all fields of urology. There were more than 15.000 attendees from all over the world.

Sadly I unexpectedly had to return to Madrid before the course and my friends Dr. Henry Woo and Dr. Oliver Reich gently exposed the presentations I had prepared.

Originally posted May 12, 2015

At last the day arrived. We celebrated a course at Clinica CEMTRO in Madrid on the modern use of the GreenLight laser. We received the visit of at least 50 urologists from Spain, Italy and Portugal.

The course went very well and we alternated many 10-15 minute talks with three operations that I performed and were retransmitted live to the main auditorium at Clinica CEMTRO.

Dr. Luis Llanes presenting on the Physics of lasers

We were very happy for the scientific quality of all the presentations and for the great deal of participation of the urologists attending the course. The sponsor of the course, AMS, commented that we received excellent reviews for the course.

Dr. Romero reviewing the literature on lasers and BPH

Dr. McVeigh, from our department of anesthesia at CEMTRO

This video in Spanish reflects how it went and some opinions.

Originally posted May 6, 2015

This time I went to Murcia to perform several operations at Hospital Reina Sofía. There I met the head of the department of urology, Dr. Fontana and my old friend Andrés Sempere.

We performed three operations that went very well. I could demonstrate the three techniques, anatomic vaporization, median lobe enucleation and en bloc enucleation. All present were happy and satisfied and the operations went very well!

Originally posted May 1, 2015

This time I travelled to Barcelona to participate in a course organized by the department of urology at Hospital de Mollet in Barcelona. The program included four live surgeries.

Dr. José Placer performed a HoLEP procedure, Dr. Javier Sánchez, head of the department of urology performed a ThuLEP procedure and I did two cases, a GreenLEP procedure and an anatomic vaporization of the prostate.

The impression of my colleagues on the Green laser procedures was very good, due to the fact that it is the laser that allows a better visualization of the capsule-adenoma interphase. As always, interacting with my colleagues is always fantastic, I learn very much from all of them!

Originally posted April 29, 2015

Again we run another surgical course at Clinica CEMTRO and we received the visit of three urologists from the Middle East, Dr. Robert Harraw, from the Sacre Cour Hospital and Dr. Zahn Aburjeily, from SDH, both from Lebanon. Dr. Mohamed El-Khouly, from Dubai, United Arab Emirates also joined us.

The session went very well and I could show them all the subtleties of the different techniques we apply for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia with the GreenLight Laser.

Originally posted April 25, 2015

This weekend I flew to Sofia, this time accompanied by Dr. Fernando Leao and Dr. Julio Araujo, from Guiânia, Brasil. They had spent some time with us in the training session at Clinica CEMTRO, but they took the opportunity to join me as well to Sofia, Bulgaria.

The objective was to participate in an advanced training session on GreenLEP -GreenLight Enucleation of the prostate at the Hill Clinic.

There they could witness many operations in patients with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia throughout the weekend.

In the photo, with Dr. Botsevski, urologist at the Hill Clinic in Sofia. Dr. Leao and Dr. Araujo insist that I go with them to Brasil to help them with their first cases in a couple of months time. I will be delighted to go!

Dr. Leao and Dr. Araujo were kind enough to share their impressions of the course.

Originally posted April 22, 2015

Today we received the visit at our operating room at Clinica CEMTRO of Dr. Serrate, from the Hospital Quirón in Barcelona, Dr. Jesús Fernández & Jorge Suarez from the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Dr. Antonio José de Almeida Santos & Jose Luis Pedroso from the Hospital da Luz from Lisboa, Dr. Trovarelli, from the Casa di Cura Rugani in Siena, Italy and Dr. Fernando Leao & Julio Araujo, from Goiânia, Brasil.

We performed several operations, as always, showing the new techniques of anatomic vaporization, vapo-enucleation and en-bloc enucleation with the GreenLight laser system, that went very well. An international session where we spoke Portuguese, Italian and Spanish.

Originally posted April 20, 2015

This time I left Madrid with Dr. Romero on Sunday night to be able to start early the following morning at the IRCAD center at the campus of the faculty of medicine of the university of Strasbourg. The objective was to lear all the subtleties of the Da Vinci Xi Robotic system.

There we spent all the day training with the Robot and learning all the mechanisms and the behavior of this new generation of the Da Vinci Robot. We simulated different situations in order to be ready for any unexpected surgical situation we might encounter in the future with the robot in real life.

The IRCAD is an impressive training center and the course was wonderful.

I feel very privileged to be able to work in the best conditions and to be able to offer the best technology to our patients for the treatment of urological cancer.

Originally posted April 18, 2015

I have dreamt for many years to have the opportunity to work with a Da Vinci surgical robot. At last it arrived at our hospital and we are going to be able to offer robotic surgery to our patients.

This robot is a true technological wonder. It seems so strange that only 15 years ago we were performing open surgery in urology and that now we can operate in a minimally invasive fashion with this sophisticated instrument.

What we really care about at ICUA and at Clínica CEMTRO is to do our work very well, to reach excellence in what we do, in the benefit of our patients. That is why we have prepared a very well structured robotic surgery program, with the active participation of anesthesists, nurses, hospital personnel and our team of surgeons to carry out a fantastic team work. It has been so emotive for me to see the amount of will the staff at Clinica CEMTRO is putting in the launch of the robotic program.

We have the great privilege to have worked and learnt with Dr. Richard Gaston during the last 7 years. Dr. Gaston works in Bordeaux, France and is a world reference in laparoscopic and robotic surgery.

With the acquisition of the new Da Vinci Xi system we have managed to bring him onboard exclusively in Spain as a team member. He will come to operate with us every month and he will have his clinics at Clinica CEMTRO and combine this activity with his work at Bordeaux.

We believe that summing up the experience of Dr. Gaston in robotic radical prostatectomy with our experience in lasers in the treatment of BPH is going to let us work at the highest level in urology in the treatment of prostate disease.

Originally posted April 11, 2015

This time I was invited to perform a live surgical demonstration at the III UROLIVE course that was broadcasted to the main auditorium of the Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos in Madrid.

This was the third edition of this meeting and there were 4 surgeons invited, two of us work at ICUA- Clínica CEMTRO.

Dr. Richard Gastón, from Bordeaux, France and a team member at ICUA-Clínica CEMTRO in Madrid, performed a radical prostatectomy with the Da Vinci Xi robot, assisted by our colleague Dr. Estefanía Romero.

Dr. Gaston is considered one of the best robotic surgeons in the world and has been awarded many times by multiple international urological associations for his work. This time he showed a new technique for full preservation of the pubovesical ligament and neurovascular bundles with a lateral access that allows for urinary continence and erectile function preservation with a high success rate.

Dr. Gastón announced during the course that the colaboración that we have had for the last 7 years is now strengthened with the purchase of a new Xi Da Vinci system at ICUA- Clínica CEMTRO in Madrid, where we will continue working together, now using the most advanced robotic technology available.

My role in the course was to perform a live surgical procedure that was also transmitted to the main auditorium. I performed my technique, and en bloc enucleation with the green light laser in a patient with a big prostate gland, that went very well.

In summary, a fantastic course with the participation of more that 240 urologists from Spain where we could demonstrate the quality of the job we make at ICUA- Clínica CEMTRO in prostate disease.

We now become one of the leading centers in the world in prostate disease diagnosis and treatment with the combined experience of Dr. Gaston in prostate cancer surgery and myself on the minimally invasive treatment of BPH.

Originally posted April 9, 2015

This time I flew to Barcelona to operate with Dr. Batista at the prestigious Clínica TEKNON. He had prepared two patients for surgery.

I performed a Green laser en-bloc enucleation in the first patient, who had a big prostate gland and an anatomic vaporization in the second patient, and then returned to Madrid. Everything went very well.

Originally posted March 29, 2015

This time I went to Sofia to give a training course to 8 French Urologists, who came to visit our surgical room and participate in two days of intensive surgery.

The session went very well and I could show them the easy and difficult cases, with small and bigger prostates. A very interesting session.

Originally posted March 26, 2015

Today I flew to Paris to give the opening lecture of the IV Congress of French-Belgium GreenLight laser users.

There was a welcoming cocktail and there I could see many friends as Dr. Vincent Misrai, who is now the leader in France in GreenLight laser enucleation.

I was honored to give the congress' opening lecture during the welcome dinner.

Then I went to sleep early as the following day I had to depart very early to Sofia, for another course.

Originally posted March 25, 2015

Today we received many visitors at Clínica CEMTRO to see the operations with the GreenLight laser that we had programmed.

We hosted Dr. José Santamaría from the Hospital Clínico de Valencia, Dr. Cimadevila from the C.H.U at Santiago de Compostela, Dr. Luis Álvarez Castelo from the CHUAC, Dr. Carlos Vallejo from H. de Hospitalet, Dr. María José Ledo and Dr. Jesús Rosety from Hospital Puerta del Mar from Cádiz. We also had visitors from France, Dr. Charles Ballereau, Dr. Philippe Koenig and Dr. Olivier Montaigne.

We also received the visit of Dr. Rafael Castellanos, from Medellín, Colombia, a partner of our great friend David Rendón, who worked with us and now lives and works in Colombia.

All the operations went very well.

Originally posted March 23, 2015

This year we hosted the EAU congress in Madrid.

I was invited to participate in two observed advanced techniques practical observation courses with the GreenLight laser simulator and I had to perform a live surgical procedure that had to be transmitted to the audience in the congress.

This was the scheduled live surgical session.

Unfortunately, the program run late and the operation could not be transmitted live. Well after the session ended, I stayed at Hospital Universitario Clínico San Carlos to perform the operation that went very well.

This time I flew to Alicante to participate the following day in a surgical training session at the General University Hospital of Elche.

I firs did a presentation of the physics of lasers and techniques to the department staff and then we went to the operating room to perform three operations.

Again I could see how the Hospital Urologists valued positively the use of GreenLight with the new techniques I described.

Nice photo isn't it? Then I returned to Madrid in the high speed train.

Originally posted March 9, 2015

On May 12th this year we will celebrate at Clinica CEMTRO a live surgery course on the last techniques and news on BPH treatment with the GreenLight laser.

We tried to put together a fresh and original program, full of live surgical cases and brief talks that can illustrate the attendees on the different aspects of this wonderful modality of treatment of BPH.

Please contact your AMS representative if you want to join us!