Live surgery at EAU16
The Live Surgery Session gave congress participants a glimpse of modern technology and their applications, and how these new procedures may impact current treatments.
Organised by the EAU Section of Uro-Technology (ESUT), in cooperation with the EAU Robotic Urology Section (ERUS) and the EAU Section of Urolithiasis (EULIS), Session Chair Prof. Jens Rassweiler (DE) said the extensive and varied session consisted of a wide range of percutaneous, endo-urological, laparoscopic, and robotic-assisted procedures which all featured the latest technologies.
“Live surgery at EAU16 is a continuation of what we have done in 2015, as we have become more experienced and acquired a routine with these new techniques. 3D for instance, which has been around for a considerable time, has significantly improved in quality; the next step is now ultra HD,” he said.
Regarding the future, Rassweiler is convinced this will be a very exciting era due to new robots which will make their way into the operating theatre. “Not next year but the following years, definitely,” Rassweiler point out. ”Also, computerized robotic biopsy techniques will become increasingly important as it will allow us to treat lesions instead of taking out the whole gland.”
During the session, a split-screen allowed the delegates to follow the procedures. Direct interaction with the performing surgeon was made possible which resulted in lively and interesting discussions on the use of certain techniques. The first surgery was a laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in 3D-HD with a flexible telescope, led by Prof. A. Alcaraz (ES). The partial nephrectomy was performed in a 63- year-old male patient who had a right renal solid mass at lower pole.
In another case, Prof. A. Mottrie (BE) used the isocyanine green Da Vinci XI to remove a renal mass in a 68-year-old female patient with a 12 mm renal mass on the left kidney. The CT scan had not shown any metastases. During the surgery, Mottrie commented on the use of ultrasound, which he said is a useful tool in this type of surgery. He also expressed his concerns about working in a buttonhole. “If it bleeds, the location of bleeding is difficult or even impossible to assess, which I find a huge disadvantage.” At the end of the partial nephrectomy – which was performed exactly within the given timeframe – Mottrie showed the specimen to the audience, which applauded him for his excellent performance.
To review the procedures in video the Live Surgery Session is available on-line eau16.org.