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SPECIALTY SOCIETIES Recap of the 35th Annual Meeting of the Saudi Urological Association
By: Raed A. Azhar, MD, MSc, ABU, FRCSC, FACS, Saudi Urological Association King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Abdulaziz Bakhsh, MD, FEBU, MBA, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia; Ali Abdel Raheem, MD, PhD, King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Posted on: 18 Jun 2024
The Saudi Urological Association (SUA) has a rich history of promoting excellence in urology. Notably, the SUA has 6 scientific subgroups (endourology, pediatric, uro-oncology, reconstructive, voiding dysfunction, and andrology) that work in harmony to construct a rich scientific annual meeting by presenting each group’s productivity and pointing out our members’ dedication and hard work. The 35th SUA Annual Meeting was held at the King Salman International Convention Center in the holy city of Al-Madina Al-Munawara from February 14 to 16, 2024.
Building upon the success of our previous conferences, this year’s conference continued its tradition of excellence by bringing together leading experts and innovators in urology. This gathering of distinguished urologists from across the country, the region, and the world provided an unparalleled opportunity to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and collaborate on the latest advancements in urological research. It was an honor to announce the participation of 24 international and 120 national speakers and representatives from prominent urological societies that provided valuable platforms to share and discuss the latest advances, cutting-edge technologies, and groundbreaking research in urology.
Over 3 consecutive days, our program featured a wide range of scientific activities. More than 1000 attendees from Saudi Arabia and other countries attended the conference (Figure 1). On the first day, there were several hands-on workshops for junior urologists to help participants who wanted to develop their skills with guidance from experienced faculty. These workshops included penile protheses (Figure 2), prostate, and endourology (Figure 3, A and B). In addition, 3 instructional courses were arranged by experts, including a master class in male infertility, transperineal prostate biopsy, and the management of overactive bladder. The courses were designed to offer education in a new and engaging format and aimed to provide learners with new techniques, updated guidelines, and surgical skills spanning the spectrum of urology.
Live surgery transmission is now considered an essential part of conferences of the largest urological societies. Thus, we arranged high-quality live surgeries performed by talented surgeons to share their experience with the participants. These surgeries, which included penile prothesis and benign prostatic hyperplasia, were performed at King Fahad Specialized Hospital and Saudi German Hospital (Figure 4).
During the next 2 days, more than 125 lectures were presented by speakers in the main plenary halls. The information provided included state-of-the art lectures, new technologies in the field of urology, the latest surgical innovations, updated guidelines, semi-live surgeries, engaging case discussions, and spirited debates. Furthermore, there was a distinguished collaboration between the SUA and the Arab Association of Urology. Speakers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates presented high-quality presentations during 2 hours of joint sessions.
A total of 122 abstracts (12 videos, 57 moderated oral posters, and 53 nonmoderated posters) were presented by emerging urologists from Saudi Arabia and other countries, which provided an opportunity to discuss their groundbreaking research. Every year, we present several awards for the best oral and video abstracts to encourage junior urologists to submit their work and compete. This year, the best oral abstract was “Application of AI-Generated 3D VR Models in the Surgical Planning of Robotic Radical Prostatectomy: Impact on Urinary Continence,” and the best video abstract was “Robotic-Assisted Excision of Inter-Aortocaval Paraganglioma.”
It was an honor to collaborate with the AUA, European Urological Association, and Societe Internationale d’Urologie through the participation of several of their distinguished representatives (Figure 5), who enriched our conference with their expertise and insights in different fields of urology.
We would like to thank the industrial and pharmaceutical companies for their support and contribution to the conference. Saudi Arabia represents the central hub for launching new products in the region. Notably, the SUA Exhibition this year was one of the premier events during the conference. High-profile companies joined the exhibition to showcase new and established products as well as cutting-edge medical technology while offering insights into the world of modern urology (Figure 6).
The Saudi Urological Association board of directors lead by Dr Raed Azhar, SUA President (Figure 7), sincerely extends its gratitude to Dr Abdulaziz Baksh, Congress President (Figure 8); Dr Emad Rajeh, Scientific Committee Chair; Dr Abdullah Ghazi, Organizing Committee Chair, SUA Scientific Groups; Dr Ali Abdel Raheem, Organizing and Scientific Committee Coordinator; SUA board members; speakers; sponsors; and all those who organized this conference for their exceptional contributions, dedicated time, and great efforts. Together, their work ensured a congress of the highest scientific quality that upheld the standards expected by health care professionals in urology. In addition, there was a fantastic collection of social and tourist activities for speakers and attendees during conference.
Finally, we are thrilled to announce that the 36th SUA Annual Meeting will be held in the city of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, from February 12 to 14, 2025. We look forward to meeting all of you in this magnificent and conveniently located city. We are confident that next year’s conference will foster a vibrant exchange of knowledge, promote collaboration, and inspire innovation in the field of urology. Together, we will explore new horizons and shape the future of urological practice.
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