During the period 20 – 22 March 2025, Cluj-Napoca hosted the 16th edition of the National Congress of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery and Liver Transplant. The event brought together prestigious specialists in the field of liver and pancreatic surgery, both from Romania and abroad. Among the guests of honor were Prof. Dr. Daniel Cherqui, director of the Hepatobiliary Center at the Paul Brousse Hospital in Paris, Prof. Dr. Thilo Hackert from the Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital, Germany, Dr. Elena Rangelova from the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, Prof. Dr. Caroline Verbeke from the Oslo University Hospital, Norway, Prof. Dr. Efrem Salame from the Regional University Hospital in Tours, France, along with Dr. Petru Bucur, a Romanian doctor working at the same hospital, and Dr. Mircea Chirica from the Saint-Louis, Lariboisière, Fernand-Widal University Hospital in Paris, Mr. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vassil Mihaylov, Mr. Dr. Ivelin Takorov, Mr. Prof. Dr. Nikola Vladov, all three representing the Military Medical Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria. Among the renowned guests was also Mr. Prof. Dr. Zoran Milošević from the Institute of Surgery in Novi Sad, Serbia. Specialists from the Republic of Moldova as well as from university centers in Romania were also invited to the event. As a sign of appreciation for the entire activity but also for the presence at this congress during the Opening Gala on March 20, 2025, the above-mentioned guests were offered an honorary diploma by Ms. Prof. Dr. Anca Dana Buzoianu, Rector of the “Iuliu Hațiganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca.
The scientific program of the congress was held in two halls simultaneously and was structured in 16 sessions, including 119 oral presentations and 16 e-Poster presentations. Also, on March 19, 2025, a pre-congress course dedicated to liver transplantation was organized, which attracted over 80 participants. On March 22, 2025, two practical workshops took place. A reference moment of the congress was the live broadcast of the vascular suture stage during a liver transplant, held on March 21, 2025, at the “Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor” Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Cluj-Napoca.
In recognition of the scientific value of the event, the Congress was credited with 20 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) and the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME), which are recognized at European level.
The event was attended by 450 professionals working in the medical and healthcare field, from the country and abroad, offering opportunities to exchange experience and update knowledge in the field of liver, biliary, pancreatic surgery and liver transplantation.
The organization of the congress was made possible through the efforts of the Romanian Society of Hepato-Bilio-Pancreatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation, with the support of the “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca and the “Prof. Dr. Octavian Fodor” Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Cluj-Napoca.
