EAU’s active role in Beijing’s urology forum and masterclasses

Two well-attended masterclasses in functional urology were recently held in Beijing, China with the active involvement of the European Association of Urology (EAU) as part of its ongoing efforts to share expertise with overseas urologists.

“Our aim is to provide good examples and expertise, encourage future generations to integrate with international standards and explore new developments,” said the Wu Jieping Medical Foundation, organiser of the three-day 4th International Forum on Frontiers in Urology (IFFU) held from April 24 to 26. The foundation is named after Prof. Wu Jieping, known as the founding father of modern Chinese urology and credited with establishing the Chinese Urological Association (CUA) and the Chinese Journal of Urology.

The EAU supported the event with its participation in two masterclasses on functional urology and urolithiasis, both held on April 24. EAU Secretary General Prof. Chris Chapple and Professors Frans Debruyne and Anup Patel took part by giving lectures in the masterclasses.

The foundation is also organising the Chinese European Urology Education Programme (CEUEP) from August 30 to 31, 2015 in Shanghai, with the participation of three European School of Urology (ESU) faculty members. The CEUEP will take place before the Asian Congress of Urology (ACU) meeting from September 3 to 6, 2015 in Shanghai, a joint meeting between the CUA and the Urological Association of Asia (UAA). The meeting’s first day will include an EAU-CUA Summit meeting with speakers from both organisations.

High attendance

Chapple co-moderated the functional urology masterclass together with Profs. Limin Liao, Dongwen Wang and Yong Yang. Chapple discussed trends and prospects in continence issues, while Liao lectured on advances on neuro-urology. Other topics covered managing pelvic dysfunction, underactive bladder, and the clinical practice of neural modulation.

Prof. Anup Patel, consultant surgeon at the Royal London Hospital at Barts Health NHS Trust, led the urolithiasis programme with Profs. Zhangqun Ye, Gang Wang and Guohua Zeng. Patel spoke on PCNL tips and tricks, while Zeng discussed fURS procedures. The other speakers took up the role of ultrasound in PCNL and training issues in stone surgery.

Organisers said the participants valued the enthusiastic discussions with internationally renowned experts, enabling young urologists to directly interact with their senior colleagues. Young European urologists also participated in the international forum and joined the simulation competition. Dr. Laura Izquierdo (ES) and Dr. Francisco Botelho (PT) won the third prize at the 4th International Simulation Competition for Young Urologists.

“The masterclasses are a good platform for learning from both Chinese and overseas experts, which is beneficial for the clinical and research work of many urologists,” organisers said, adding the 5th IFFU will take place on April 21 to 24, 2016.