Plastic surgery occupies an important position among all medical specialties, since it is this direction that makes it possible to radically change a person's life. And for all plastic surgeons, as well as for any other medical specialists, it is very important to constantly learn and learn from the experience of both compatriots and foreign colleagues.
In an exclusive interview for estet-portal.com, Professor of the Sana Kliniken Clinic, Head of the Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Chairman of the International Breast Symposium in Dusseldorf, Germany, shared his opinion about plastic surgery in Ukraine, as well as important recommendations for plastic surgeons Christoph Andree.
How do you rate the level of plastic surgery of our doctors?
K.A.: I can say that I saw a high level of plastic surgery, and in particular breast reconstructive surgery. Of course, I can only speak about those of your specialists with whom I personally met, and these are really high-level professionals. In particular, I personally operated several times at the Israeli Oncology LISOD Hospital together with Dr. Andrey Zhigulin, and I can say that he is an excellent surgeon, and his work meets the high standards of plastic surgery.
Tell us about your collaboration with the LISOD clinic and Dr. Zhigulin?
K.A.: I met Dr. Zhigulin a few years ago and invited him to a congress in Düsseldorf dedicated to the treatment of breast cancer. Since then, Dr. Zhigulin and I have started close cooperation, I can trust him as a surgeon, so we operated several times together at the Israel Oncology Hospital LISOD. Perhaps in the future we will create something like a subspecialty such as microsurgery in the LISOD clinic, and I will teach his interns, after which they will be able to use the experience gained in Ukraine.
Is it important for our doctors to attend plastic surgery education events?
K.A.: I think it's very important in principle, and especially important for medical professionals, to know what new things in the field of plastic surgery already exist and are used by other doctors.
I think that Ukrainian specialists need to organize international events, invite specialists from Europe, and thus learn new, more effective ways of treating patients.
And this can only be done if Ukrainian doctors attend international congresses and organize them in their country.
What would you like to advise plastic surgeons?
K.A.: Europe's borders are now open, and it only takes a two-hour flight to get to any European country.
I recommend that Ukrainian doctors attend more educational events dedicated specifically to the treatment of breast cancer and, in particular, reconstructive surgery.
I also recommend that they visit the medical departments, and personally our department, because this is one of the best ways to see what exactly the department is doing at the moment, and it will be such a training in private, where one person teaches another. Thus, I can advise Ukrainian doctors to get more knowledge in the issues they are interested in.
What's your personal estimation about this meeting? How do you personally feel, what are your impressions about it?
Well, I think it's a great meeting, and LISOD together with all the other breast and plastic surgeons set up a meeting, which is scientifically very nice, and we hope, that we can bring people together and see from the current prospective of breast and plastic surgeons, what has been done in breast surgery today.
How do you estimate the level of plastic surgery in Ukraine?
Well, as a person, as a plastic and breast surgeon, here in Ukraine I have met very and very high standards of breast and plastic surgery. I can say definitely only for the doctors who I worked with — Dr. Zhigulin, because I have been operating a couple times with him in LISOD hospital. He is an excellent breast surgeon on the top level of surgery.
These kinds of meetings increase the knowledge of Ukrainian surgeons, allowing them to reach a brand new professional level, so, in your opinion, is it important for doctors to attend these lectures on international level?
I think it's very important — especially in medicine — to go ahead and try to find out what's new, what has been done — so, I think, it's a key for your country to have international meetings, to attract other doctors from Europe, and try to find out a new best way to treat the patients also here, in Ukraine, because they benefit from them and this is the way to go. And you can only do it when you either travel or organize your own meeting.
Please, tell us about your cooperation with LISOD-clinic, how do you personally see it, how did you work with them?
I met Dr. Zhigulin five years ago and I invited him to Dusseldorf, to the international press surgery meeting, he was one of the invited speakers, and since then I am following him, and we stay friends, that's one of the why reasons I am rating LISOD hospital so highly. And he was looking for patients and we operated them together. It's a very fruitful cooperation with him, because I can trust him as a surgeon, and we can learn from each other. So, it was very nice. Maybe, in the nearest future we will set up some microsurgical kind of specialty at LISOD hospital, and I will train some of his residents, and then he brings the knowledge back to Ukraine, to treat the patients.
What would you like to wish for our plastic surgeons, or to recommend them?
Well, now the borders are open, the flight time to anywhere in Europe is approximately two hours, so I recommend them to get more and more involved in the international breast surgery meetings to enhance the knowledge, and maybe they can come and visit — like, we have visitors from all over the world in our department, and it's very nice, you can show what you do, and it's one-to-one teaching, so maybe I should advice them to do something like Dr. Zhigulin — to get out and try to get more knowledge on the subject they are interested in.
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