Congress Program
Thursday, 22 October 2026
8:30 – 9:00
Registration
9:15 – 10:15
Session 1 – Challenging Cases
Uli Dietz
Fernando Ferreira
Interparietal hernias – Sandra Widjaja Kaufmann (Switzerland)
Infraxyphoidal hernias – Hector Valenzuela (Mexico)
The 2nd recurrence – Walter Brunner (Switzerland)
10:15 – 11:15
Session 2 – Swiss Young Surgeons Session
Suture repairs in inguinal hernias – when and how? – Andreas Koch (Germany)
IPOM – not dead yet? – Uli Dietz (Switzerland)
Open ventral hernia repairs in the area of MIS – David Chen (USA)
11:15 – 11:45
Coffee Break
11:45 – 12:45
Session 3 – New Kids on the Block
Jan Kukleta
Lukas Gantner
Semitendinosus Tendon as hernia mesh – Fabian Helfritz (Germany)
Modifications of TAR: Madrid approach and more –Bob Bloemendaal (Netherlands)
Mesh Suture – Greg Dumanian (USA)
12:45 – 13:15
Lunch Break
13:15 – 14:00
Lunch Symposium
14:00 – 15:00
Grand Round – Taking Care of Ourselves
Moderation: Henry Hoffmann
Podium: Lana Fourie (Switzerland), Guido Woeste (Germany), Frederik Berrevoet (Belgium), Ileana Geogloman (UK)
Input talk – Burnout plus physical wear and tear, a surgical pandemic? – David Sanders (UK)
15:30 – 16:00
Coffee Break
16:00 – 16:30
16:30 – 17:30
Session 5 – When the Shit hits the Fan
Guido Woeste
Marc-Olivier Sauvain
Case 1 – Marta Wójcik (Poland)
Case 2 – Jonathan Douissard (Switzerland)
Case 3 – David Ross (UK)
19:00
Networking Event
Friday, 23 October 2026
8:30 – 9:00
Registration
9:00 – 10:30
Deferred Life Surgery
Walter Brunner
Bob Bloemendaal
Single Port Robotic Hernia Repair – Lana Fourie (Switzerland)
PeTEP – Hector Valenzuela (Mexico)
Inguinal mesh removal and neurectomy – David Chen (USA)
10:30 – 11:00
Coffee Break
11:00 – 12:00
Session 6 – Specialization and Quality in Hernia Surgery
Sandra Widjaja Kaufmann
Uli Dietz
The UEMS Abdominal Wall Surgery – Ileana Geogloman (UK)
The more the better? Caseload and quality in hernia surgery – Guido Woeste (Germany)
Where is robotics adding quality in hernia surgery? – Lukas Gantner (Switzerland)
12:00 – 12:15
12:15 – 12:45
Lunch Break
12:45 – 13:30
Lunch Symposium
Henry Hoffmann
Rethinking Tissue Support Beyond Permanent Mesh: Addressing Today’s Challenges in Hernia Repair with Phasix P4HB Meshes
Surgical Site Infection Risk at Stoma Reversal: Exploring the Potential Role of P4HB and Colonization Resistance — Prof. Dr. Silberhumer
Healthy Tissue Remodeling and Long-term Support in Rectus Diastasis Repair — Dr. Douissard
Mesh-Related Complications in Hiatal Hernia Repair: Can Predictable Resorption Influence Clinical Outcomes? — Dr. Wrann
13:30 – 14:30
Session 7 – The Conundrum of Diastasis Recti
Dietmar Eucker
Hector Valenzuela
The role of physiotherapy – Katarina Woxnerud (Sweden)
Surgery – when and how? – Fernando Ferreira (Portugal)
Why aesthetics matter – David Ross (UK)
15:00 – 15:30
Industry Symposium
Recreating a Functional Abdominal Wall with OvTex® Reinforced Tissue Matrix
David Sanders
Parastomal Hernia: The First Repair Defines The Future
Bob Bloemendaal
15:30 – 16:30
Championsleague
Philipp Kirchhoff
Team Switzerland: Jan Kukleta, Lana Fourie
Team Europe: Bob Bloemendaal, Guido Woeste
Team Overseas: Hector Valenzuela, David Chen
Case 1 – Johannes Toti (Switzerland)
Case 2 – Moritz Sparn (Switzerland)
Case 3 – Lisa-Marie Schupp (Switzerland)
16:30 – 17:30
Session 8 – Future of Hernia Surgery
Andreas Koch
Fabian Helfritz
Deep learning and AI in surgery – David Sanders (UK)
Teaching the next generation – Ileana Geogloman (UK)
Nice to meet you! Gen Z and Millenial values in surgery – Jonathan Douissard (Switzerland)
17:00