Joining urology’s young, promising urologists at UROBESTT

Finetuning skills during the Challengers and HOT sessions

Prof. Charles Van Praet Dept. of Urology Ghent University Hospital Ghent (BE)

charles.vanpraet@ uzgent.be

I had the opportunity to attend the recentlyconcluded URO Berlin Skills Teaching and Training (UROBESTT) programme. The European School of Urology (ESU) organised this year’s UROBESTT at the Karl Storz Berlin Visitor and Training Centre from 16-18 February, 2023. The programme is aimed at young urologists practising urologic endoscopy and/ or minimally-invasive surgery.

UROBESTT was well-attended not only by colleagues from Europe, but also from countries such as Iran, Mexico, Paraguay and Uzbekistan. The programme alternated from plenary sessions by experts, Challengers sessions by participants, smaller group sessions on tips and tricks in endourology, individual case presentations, and hands-on training (HOT).

The expert session highlights included techniques and indications for endopyelotomy by Prof. Olivier Traxer (FR), an overview of minimally invasive surgical techniques (MIST) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) by Prof. Bhaskar Somani (GB), management of uretero-intestinal stenosis by Prof. Joan Palou (ES), and the role of lymphadenectomy in prostate cancer by Prof. Henk Van Der Poel (NL).

Every participant was invited to send in several of their research topics for a 15-minute presentation and was challenged by three experts in the Challengers sessions. First, I shared the Ghent University Hospital experience with Retzius-sparing radical prostatectomy (RS-RARP). Introduction of RS-RARP significantly improved our patients’ early (two weeks) and late (one year) urinary continence from 32% to 84% and from 76% to 99%, respectively. Although this came at the cost of an increased positive surgical margin rate, oncological outcome at two years was very similar. Longer oncological follow-up is warranted [1].

Second, I presented our in-house developed renal 3D models with perfusion zone algorithm for planning robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN). These models allow us to accurately plan and execute RAPN with selective arterial clamping in 92% of patients [2]. I was very honoured to receive the first prize for these presentations.

Furthermore, every participant was encouraged to present a four-minute clinical case to 10 to 15 colleagues and have a discussion. This was a unique opportunity to share personal experiences and get feedback from peers and experts.

One of the highlights was the HOT session, where we could practise endoscopy and laparoscopy on simulation models. The two-hour session enabled us to practise our skills and get valuable feedback from experienced urologists.

Being with a group of young urologists also means enjoying the evenings in the great city of Berlin. During the first night, a fire alarm at the hotel and subsequent evacuation started an unexpected midnight networking opportunity on the street. Fortunately, it proved to be a false alarm. The second evening, a networking dinner was organised at a Thai restaurant. The spicy Thai food turned dinner into yet another HOT session (pun intended). It was a memorable evening, where I made friends from all over the world.

Attending this three-day course was an invaluable experience that provided me with a wealth of knowledge, skills, practical experience, and new friends. I would hereby like to thank the organising committee, as well as the other participants for this very interactive course. I highly recommend it to starting urologists with a passion for minimallyinvasive urology.

References

1. Lambert E, Allaeys C, Berquin C, et al. Is It Safe to Switch from a Standard Anterior to Retzius-Sparing Approach in Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy? Current

Oncology 2023; 30(3), 3447-3460; DOI: https://doi. org/10.3390/curroncol30030261

2. De Backer P, Vermijs S, Van Praet C, et al. A Novel

Three-dimensional Planning Tool for Selective Clamping During Partial Nephrectomy: Validation of a Perfusion Zone Algorithm. European Urology 2023; e-pub before print; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2023.01.003