This highly popular pre-congress course was first conducted in Milan in 2016 and repeated this year in Berlin. 35 participants were welcomed in the Storz facilities in Berlin. The speakers were selected for their expertise as well as their approachability. This resulted in a highly interactive day with open discussions without hesitation from the participants.
The morning was dedicated to the treatment of haemorrhoids. In the past year, several large studies have been conducted into the treatment of Haemorrhoids, somewhat overthrowing old and new paradigms. Baljit Singh, Steven Brown and Stanley Goldberg gave wonderful lectures, concerning etiology, patient perception and management of haemorrhoidal disease. Hands-on training was offered using the beautiful porcine models designed by Christoph Isbert. Using these models, the participants were able to perform most surgical treatment themselves. The operating room facilities where the hands-on part of the course was conducted was very well kitted out and prepared by the friendly and helpful staff of Storz.
After lunch, during which many of the discussions of the morning session were repeated in a very pleasant atmosphere, the afternoon session covered the treatment of perianal fistulas. The lectures by Christoph Isbert, David Zimmerman and Mia Kim were again a starting point for many openminded discussions and exchanges of opinions with attention and respect for international and cultural differences in the patient expectations and treatment of perianal fistulas. The afternoon was concluded with hands-on training on the Isbert-models. Using the equipment provided by SapiMed, AMI and Storz, participants were able to practice LIFT, flaps and fistulotomies.
Participants were very pleased with the level and content of the lectures, rating (average) a 9/10! Moreover, the models designed by Christoph Isbert were also rated excellent by the trainees, providing a very useful model to practice almost all different available techniques both for haemorrhoid and fistula surgery.
We were very impressed by the level and motivation of the participants and grateful for the selfless support of our sponsors (Storz, AMI, Medtronic and SapiMed), who are truly dedicated to this form of education.
