2nd Clinical Congress of Albanian Surgeons
22 October 2026 · Tirana International Hotel · English
Course Directors: Prof. Dr. Demetrius Litwin (USA) and Prof. Dr. Arben Beqiri (Albania, UMT)
PROGRAMME
08:00 – 08:30 | Registration and course materials
08:30 – 08:40 | Welcome and opening remarks:
Prof. Dr. Arben Beqiri
Prof. Dr. Xheladin Draçini, Rector of the University of Medicine, Tirana
I. Anatomy and Prevention of Injury
08:40 – 09:00 | Anatomical variations of the extrahepatic biliary tree and its vascular supply, with clinical correlations, Xh. Draçini
09:00 – 09:20 | The critical view of safety: does it prevent CBD injury? D. Litwin
09:20 – 09:25 | Difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy: when to insist, bail out, or convert, K. Haxhirexha
09:25 – 09:30 | Vascular injuries during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, A. Llazani
09:30 – 09:50 | The role of IOC and ICG fluorescence in preventing CBD injury, D. Litwin
09:50 – 09:55 | Laparoscopic cholecystectomy after ERCP: timing, technical challenges and safety, A. Hamza
09:55 – 10:05 | Discussion and conclusions
10:05 – 10:20 | Coffee break
II. Experience, Complications and Debate
10:20 – 10:40 | Lessons from a single team: more than 12,000 consecutive laparoscopic cholecystectomies without a CBD injury, A. Beqiri
10:40 – 11:00 | Management of CBD injury, D. Litwin
11:00 – 11:05 | The critical view of honesty: disclosure after complications in laparoscopic cholecystectomy, R. Latifi
11:05 – 11:25 | Short videos for discussion (case-based video review, open floor), Faculty
11:25 – 11:55 | Expert debate, with participation from the audience, Faculty
11:55 – 12:05 | Discussion and conclusions
12:05 – 13:00 | Lunch break
III. Hands-On, Training Box
13:00 – 13:15 | Set-up of the training box stations
13:15 – 13:45 | Building eye-hand coordination, Faculty
13:45 – 14:30 | Taking a stitch and tying a knot laparoscopically (intracorporeal suturing on the training box), Faculty
14:30 – 14:45 | Coffee break
14:45 – 15:30 | Extracorporeal laparoscopic knot tying, Faculty
15:30 – 16:00 | Friendly competition among participants (timed skills challenge, with a prize for the winner)
16:00 | End of course
WHAT YOU WILL TAKE AWAY
Sessions I and II
- Recognise the biliary and vascular variations that put a patient at risk.
- Apply the critical view of safety consistently, and know where it stops protecting you.
- Know when to insist, when to bail out and when to convert in a difficult gallbladder.
- Prevent, recognise and control vascular injury during the dissection.
- Use intraoperative cholangiography and ICG fluorescence to protect the common bile duct.
- Time the cholecystectomy after ERCP and handle its technical challenges safely.
- Understand what a 12,000-case injury-free record says about technique, team discipline and case selection.
- Detect a CBD injury early, manage it, and judge when to refer.
- Disclose a complication to the patient and family honestly and appropriately.
Session III
- Build eye-hand coordination through supervised repetition on the training box.
- Place a stitch and tie a secure intracorporeal knot.
- Tie an extracorporeal knot and slide it into place.
- Test the skills under time pressure, with feedback from the faculty.
Fee: €70 for residents | €100 for specialists
Places for the practical part are limited, with only 24 spots available. Once they are filled, the registration link will close.
All Congress registrants can attend the theoretical part, but only those who have paid the course fee can take part in the hands-on training. Residents who pay for the course can also attend the other Congress sessions.
Apply to attend the course: