The World Congress of Endourology and Uro-Technology (WCET) will take place in Hamburg, Germany on September 23–25, 2021.

The Endourological Society has been the world’s leading society for new technology initially for stone diseases with extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy and endoscopic urinary procedures, expanding over the years with laparoscopy and robotic surgery to practically all areas of urology always through innovation of minimally invasive surgical treatments. The mission of the Society is not only to lead the field of minimally invasive surgery, but also favor the education of endourology and to facilitate research and training among all urologists worldwide. At the annual conference hosted by the Society, the WCET welcomes more than 2,000 urology professionals from around the world and boasts a progressive and unparalleled education program. The meeting also highlights the very latest advances and technologies for the treatment of urological conditions.

With the hope that this devastating pandemic is coming to an end, the WCET 2021 is scheduled to be an in-person meeting, with consideration of a hybrid component for parts of the program. This year the WCET presents an outstanding program in a 3-day meeting.

State-of-the-art lectures, discussion panels and debates will be presented in extended 5-hour daily plenary sessions. Day 1 will be dedicated to new technology and hot topics in minimally invasive surgery including artificial intelligence in endourology, single vs multiport robotic surgery, imaging modalities for prostate cancer, emerging trends in focal therapy and new laser technologies. Day 2 will include presentations and discussions on new frontiers in in robotic surgery, new trends in robotic assisted prostatectomy, management of challenging renal masses and robotic cystectomy, and urinary diversion. Day 2 will also include an update on surgical techniques for the management of benign prostate enlargement including different alternatives for prostate enucleation, aqua ablation and other minimally invasive treatment (MIT) technologies for benign prostatic hyperplasia. On Day 3, endourology and stones will be covered with panel discussions on treatment alternatives for challenging ureteral and renal stones, debate of which one is the best treatment alternative for 1–2 cm stone in the lower pole between mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy or flexible ureteroscopy, different laser technologies, holmium:YAG vs thulium fiber laser for stone fragmentation and dusting, new technologies for endourological surgery and medical treatment for stone disease.

As a highlight of the WCET, 15 Semi-Live Surgeries will be presented covering all the different topics of robotic surgery, endourology and stones and focal therapy. State-of-the-Art non-edited surgeries including single-port robotic prostatectomy, partial nephrectomy for complex renal mass, prostate enucleation using different laser energies, mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy and flexible ureteroscopy for complex stones, among others, will be displayed by world experts in the field and will be discussed by an outstanding panel of moderators in each topic. Educational courses on tips and tricks in endourological and robotic surgical techniques as well as magnetic resonance imaging-guided biopsies will also be presented during the meeting. Subspecialty meetings of the Society of Urological Robotic Surgeons (SURS), the Focal Therapy Society, the Young Endourology Group and other regional societies will be another highlight of the congress program. Finally, an outstanding number of abstracts have been received and will be presented in podium, poster and video formats. Please visit our website at www.WCET2021.com for more details about the event.

The Endourology Society looks forward to hosting the first international meeting in Europe after the pandemic. Hamburg is home to Europe’s third largest port and is a major international tourist destination with endless cultural and recreational activities, making the city a wonderful venue to have a personal re-encounter with friends and colleagues. I am delighted to invite you to the WCET 2021 in Hamburg, Germany from September 23–25 to enjoy together the world’s foremost meeting dedicated to minimally invasive urological surgery. We are sure that your participation will be of a great importance to the work carried out during the sessions of the congress.

I truly look forward to seeing you all in Hamburg.