Kai Lehmann

"About half of the patients with colorectal cancer develop liver metastases, which are tumor deposits in the liver, during the course of the disease. With the advancement of liver surgery and progress in medical therapy, many patients with liver metastases can be cured today. A significant technical advancement in liver surgery is the minimally invasive surgical technique, which allows for more gentle operations. In recent years, this has increasingly been performed with the support of a surgical robot. The robot allows the operation to be carried out in three-dimensional view with fine instruments that mimic the range of motion of the human hand. However, the robot is fully controlled by the surgeon. This allows for very precise work even in difficult operations.

However, robotic surgery also significantly increases the technical complexity of the entire surgical process and requires new surgical strategies. This necessitates continuous development of one's own surgical skills. Here, learning from the individual experience of individual surgeons or specialized centers is paramount.

The funding enabled me to undertake a three-week observership with Prof. Dr. Go Wakabayashi at Ageo City General Hospital in the Greater Tokyo area in Japan. Professor Wakabayashi is one of the most renowned liver surgeons worldwide and has particular expertise in anatomically-oriented surgical procedures and robotic liver surgery. I was able to observe several minimally invasive liver surgeries daily and learned numerous new techniques and surgical strategies. The close exchange on technical details directly in the operating room and the great interest in exchanging experiences were very beneficial. I also had the opportunity to observe at three other Japanese university hospitals for one to three days each, gaining further insights. Additionally, the cultural insight into both medical work and life in Japan was very interesting.

In retrospect, the observership was extremely enriching. I can apply many of the insights gained in Japan in daily practice and share them with my colleagues."