The course dedicated to “Transanal minimally invasive surgery” (TAMIS), a minimally invasive approach for the removal of polyps and colorectal cancers, was held on Friday, July 6, at Humanitas University.
The course is directed by Professor Antonino Spinelli, Head of the Operative Unit for Colorectal Surgery in Humanitas; at his side were Dr. Roel Hompes of the Department of Colorectal Surgery at the Academic Medical Center Amsterdam, and Professor Roberto Persiani, Head of UOS Mini-Invasive Oncology Surgery, Sacred Heart Catholic University of Rome.
The course was aimed at all surgeons with an interest in the field of minimally invasive surgery, willing to acquire practice with this technique. The aim of the course is to acquire the basic principles and technical skills to be able to approach this new procedure.
What is TAMIS?
Minimally invasive transanal surgery (TAMIS) is a highly specialized minimally invasive approach for the removal of polyps and certain cancers of the rectum at an early stage.
This is a procedure that is accessed to the surgical site through natural orifices (in this case the anus), without the need for surgical incisions.
TAMIS also allows significant organ savings, as it only removes damaged tissues, leaving the rest of the intestine intact. The patient does not undergo resection of the rectum, a complex operation burdened by a higher rate of complications, as well as the possibility of having to pack a temporary or permanent intestinal deviation, with an impact on quality of life.
TAMIS was introduced in 2010 and has gradually spread throughout the world, with great success due to the possibility of obtaining an oncological safe treatment, avoiding major surgery.
Course programme
Many topics were the focus of the day: from the history of TAMIS to how to set its execution (instrumentation, techniques, suturing); from TAMIS for benign lesions to its use for the treatment of early rectum tumors: the latter theme was presented by Professor Spinelli.
During the course there was space for technical theory and practice through videos and biological models on which the participants could practice.
