Greetings to all endourologists!
I am very happy to welcome all of you to the virtual PERC 2023 Congress where we shall discuss “Updates on PCNL and RIRS.” PCNL is approaching its 50th year after its introduction in 1976 by Fernström and Johannson, and yet after 5 decades, there is still no standard way of performing this minimally invasive approach to kidney stones. RIRS on the other hand, is emerging as the “new kid on the block” and seems to challenge the gold standard of PCNL in treating large kidney stones.
We therefore have dedicated a two-day webinar for our PERC Postgraduate Course. On Day 1, we will be reviewing expanding applications of retrograde intrarenal surgery, focusing on the techniques which increase stone-free rates. The challenge really is to minimize residual stones that need to be passively expelled in the urine. We shall also be touching on robotic assisted flexible ureteroscopy. More and more patients aspire for a completely incisionless approach that could be done as an ambulatory procedure. For these group of patients, RIRS may be the way to go.
On Day 2, we will be discussing upates on PCNL, focusing on the opposing approaches of supine and prone PCNL, and single vs. multitract approaches. We shall also revisit the combined antegrade and retrograde approach to renal stones or commonly referred to as “Endoscopically Combined IntraRenal Surgery (ECIRS). We will have semi-live surgical presentations that will hopefully educate our listeners on the fine points of the different surgical techniques in endoscopic stone management.
Indeed, these two days promise to be very exciting and even thought-provoking. We have included in our Faculty the well-renowned endourologists of the world. We hope to maximize your learning opportunities as you join us in the comfort of your homes. Soon we will be meeting in PERC 2025 face-to-face.
Sincerely,
JOSE BENITO A. ABRAHAM, MD
Chairman, Scientific Committee
PERC 2023 Virtual
