Dear Hernia Friends,
I’m Ibrahim Kirmizisakal, a general surgery resident from Colțea Clinical Hospital, Romania with a strong interest in abdominal wall surgery. Thanks to the EHS Extended Travel Grant, I spent three inspiring weeks with Prof. Miguel Ángel García Ureña, the Madrid 6 team at Hospital Universitario del Henares.
I gained a thorough understanding of the complete perioperative process, from structured pre-operative consultations to extensive CT assessments, patient optimisation, and tailored planning, to the refined decision-making that underpins sophisticated abdominal wall restoration. In the operating room, I observed entire preperitoneal repairs for lumbar and subcostal hernias, robotic and laparoscopic P-eTEP, eTEP techniques, and the Madrid modification of posterior component separation. I also learnt the fundamentals of post-operative care, pain management, and follow-up. Additional highlights included pain mapping with targeted local anaesthetic injections and a fantastic cadaveric session on abdominal wall anatomy.
These weeks were extremely memorable. I return feeling enriched, inspired, and grateful.
Thank you, Prof. Ureña, the Madrid 6 team, and all Henares staff!
