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Live Surgery: Must-see highlight of any Annual EAU Congress

Technically referred to as the “Meeting of the EAU Section of Uro-Technology (ESUT) in cooperation with ERUS and EULIS” (the EAU Sections of Robotic Urology and Urolithiasis, respectively), the seven-hour “live surgery session” is a highlight at every Annual Congress. Through a seamless mix of pre-recorded and live cases, moderated by a panel of experts, the very latest technology is demonstrated in EAU22’s largest room.

On the afternoon of the second day at the 37th Annual EAU Congress in Amsterdam, audiences were treated to laparoscopic and robotic procedures alike. Dr. Jörg Ellinger (Bonn, DE) performed what was announced as a laser endoscopic enucleation of the prostate for BPH but in practice was modified to a “quasi-HoLEP”.

Dr. Patricia Zondervan (Amsterdam, NL) demonstrated a 3D laparoscopic radical nephrectomy on a “sticky” older female patient, leading to some discussion with the panel on the choices of her approach and also her preference for 3D laparoscopy, even for radical nephrectomy: “Especially combined with 4K, I find 3D offers a clear advantage over 2D.” Technique and other preferences like camera positioning were also discussed with the panel which included Prof. L ü tfi Tun ç (Ankara, TR) and Prof. Francesco Porpiglia (Turin, IT).

The eURO Auditorium then switched focus to Prof. Henk Van Der Poel (Amsterdam, NL) and his robotic-assisted prostatectomy with sentinel lymph node mapping. The use of ICG under near-infrared light (the da Vinci Firefly imaging system), combined with radioactive tracer and the Crystal Probe device made it a (relative) breeze to find the sentinel nodes.

The EAU’s live surgery events follow a stringent Live Surgery protocol with patient advocates present and a big list of criteria that surgical centres need to meet, as well as mandatory presentation of patient follow-up. It is also a chance for the participating hospitals to host the world’s best surgeons and demonstrate the latest equipment and surgical insights.