The last day of the 63rd Philippine Urological Association Annual Convention featured distinguished international speakers. The plenary was moderated by Dr. Paulo Jesus Fernandez, who tackled the best from EAU sessions.

The program began with an opening remark from PUA President, Dr. Harry G. Longno. The Vice President of EAU-Philippines chapter, Dr. Agapito P. Agatep Jr, then formally introduced the session. Dr. Agatep emphasized the strong partnership between the PUA and EAU. This was then followed by lectures from Dr. Jens Rassweiler, Dr. Arnulf Stenzl, and Dr. Chistopher Chapple.

The first lecture by Professor Jens Rassweiler, Chairman of the EAU-Section-Office, focused on the latest advancement in Uro-technology. He highlighted some developments in the field of Endorurology, including percutaneous techniques and extracorporeal techniques, as well as laparoscopic and robotic surgery. He also discussed the integration of virtual reality, improvements in video urology, and the use of navigation techniques. He introduced new robots for both laparoscopy and endourology. He was later on joined by Dr. Vu Le Chuyen from Vietnam, Dr. Jose Vicent T. Progalidad from the Philippines, and Dr. Chaidir A. Mochtar from Indonesia.

All of them shared their experiences and expertise, particulary on the application of these advancements in Uro-technology. They also discussed the current status of these technologies in their respective countries.

The second lecture was delivered by Dr. Arnulf Stenzl, the Adjunct Secretary General of EAU. His lecture focused on updates on urothelial cancer. He discussed imaging techniques, which included VI-RADS and the application of MP-MRI in bladder cancer. He also tackled the impact of FDG PET/CT in managing and prognosticating these patients. Furthermore, Dr. Stenzl brushed up on non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). He reviewed the long standing problems encountered in TURBT, which impacts recurrence rates. He asserts that photodynamic diagnosis is better compared to white light cystoscopy in treating and managing NMIBC, and transurethral en bloc submucosal hydrodissection is preferable over conventional TURBT. He also discussed advanced urothelial cancer, its perioperative and systemic treatment. He was later on joined by Dr. Marlo Vic Batucan from the Philippines.

The third lecturer was Dr. Christopher Chapple, Secretary General of EAU. He talked about management of lower urinary tract symptoms. He emphasized the importance of a “tailored” approach to treatment of LUTS. He was later joined by Dr. Juliano Panganiban and Dr. Valeerat Swatesutipun from Philippines and Thailand, respectively, in a panel discussion.

The session was capped off by the EAU-Philippine Chapter President, Dr. Samuel Yrastorza.