A memorable RACS ASC for urologists

The 2021 RACS ASC will likely be one of the most memorable for Fellows for many reasons. The very fact that the RACS ASC even took place is thanks to the efforts of a large team of individuals who made extraordinary contributions. As a RACS Councillor, I was excited that this was the first time we would have program participation by all the nine RACS surgical specialties. This was a significant moment in RACS’ history.

Our Urology program was held in lieu of our standalone Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ) Annual Scientific Meeting, which had been cancelled for 2021. A packed four-day program ran from the opening day of the meeting and we were amongst the last out of the exhibition centre on the final day.

An outstanding feature of the Urology program was the diversity of presenters and session chairs. In particular, a high number of the female urologists invited were speaking or chairing sessions for the first time in their careers. It goes without saying that they were all outstanding (see table below).

On the opening day of the RACS ASC, USANZ established well attended hubs across Australia and New Zealand. These provided a much-missed opportunity for collegiate interaction. This model of USANZ sponsored hubs also provided an opportunity for urologists to interact with relevant industry partners. The concept of multiple local hubs has proven to be a formula worthy of continued development.

Our scientific program differed from our usual Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) format. It provided more general Urology content as well as some content that would be of interest to those outside our specialty.

We delivered 20 sessions from national experts in Australia and New Zealand as well as five international visitors, including Professor Jelle Barentsz (the Netherlands), Professor Kurt McCammon (United States), Professor Caroline Moore (United Kingdom), Professor Margaret Pearle (United States) and Professor Stacey Loeb (United States). Professor Freddie Hamdy (United Kingdom) also joined us and delivered the 2021 British Journal of Urology International lecture.

An overwhelming number of 157 abstracts, the second highest number for a specialty in the 2021 RACS ASC, were submitted to Urology for consideration and 129 submissions were accepted as either verbal or poster presentations. Such a positive response from the Fellowship, and invited faculty and delegates was a true testament to the partnership RACS shares with the USANZ.

One highlight was a spirited debate with our general surgical colleagues over who should care for acute torsion of the testis. Although there may be conjecture over which team won the debate, the winners are the patients who can be reassured that whether cared for by a urologist or general surgeon, they can count on receiving first class surgical care.

An onsite session entitled ‘Bread and Butter Urology’ was dominated by general and paediatric surgeons and, in hindsight, the session could more aptly have been called ‘Bread and Butter Surgery’, given that multiple surgical specialties have a role to play.

A joint Urology and General Surgery session was devoted to the common problem of inguinal hernia management in the context of a diagnosis made prior to, during or following a radical prostatectomy.

Following this success, we hope to continue discussion with USANZ to ensure a urology program becomes a long-term feature of the RACS ASC.

Professor Henry Woo

Chair, Research and Academic Surgery