ESU-ESEUT masterclass promotes laparoscopy culture

Here we are again! The second ESU-ESEUT Masterclass on Laparoscopy took place in Bassano del Grappa, Italy from 26 to 27 September 2024. We are happy and proud to have been involved in this masterclass, which is organised by the European School of Urology (ESU) and the EAU Section of EndoUroTechnology.

The goal is to spread the culture of urological laparoscopy to the audience. As you know, Bassano del Grappa was the first Italian city where a kidney laparoscopy was performed.

In 1991, Bassano del Grappa hosted the first laparoscopic nephrectomy in Italy and the second in Europe. Since then, it has maintained a high standard for minimally invasive techniques, first laparoscopic and then robotic.

In 2022, we had the honour of organising and hosting the first masterclass in laparoscopy under the auspices of the EAU and the EAU Section of Uro-Technology, assisted by the late and esteemed Prof. Dr. Ali Gözen (DE). The first edition was a great success, and building on that experience, we organised the second edition this year.

For this masterclass, we involved the Working Group on Laparoscopy of the ESU under the guidance of Dr. Patricia Zondervan (NL).

The objective of the masterclass was to organise an event for specialists who already have an intermediate level of knowledge and laparoscopic practice, as well as the European-Basic Laparoscopic Urological Skills (E-BLUS) certificate. We divided the lectures into general topics on laparoscopy (e.g., the role of technologies, 3D, 4K, advanced synthetic devices) and step-by-step descriptions of the main surgical procedures. There were also live surgery sessions showing the main urological laparoscopic procedures. Additionally, we set up training spaces, dividing participants into two groups: four laparoscopic stations from Karl Storz, two from Olympus, and two using the pulsating organ perfusion (P.O.P.) trainer from Optimist. Training exercises on sutures, urethro-vesical anastomosis, and renal bleeding management with ex-vivo kidney materials adapted for the Optimist trainer were organised.

Simultaneously with the training sessions, another group of participants presented clinical cases of procedures they performed, with feedback and discussion from the faculty.

The masterclass also featured a social component with an aperitif at the famous Nardini grappa distillery near the Ponte degli Alpini in Bassano, followed by dinner at the La Rosina restaurant in the hills of Marostica, a small medieval town just above Bassano.

The masterclass was also a moment of reunion among friends and colleagues, where opinions could be exchanged, advice asked or simply, experiences shared.

We would like to thank the EAU for their invaluable help and contribution, especially to Mrs. Wendy Dennissen and Ms. Fitri Meliyani. A special thanks to the entire faculty, particularly to Dr. Zondervan for her constant contribution to this masterclass.

See you at the next edition!