Postgraduate Diploma in Mini Invasive Hernia Surgery

POSTGRADUATE DEGREE IN

MINI INVASIVE HERNIA SURGERY

2025

Abdominal wall hernias are increasingly becoming an area of surgical practice. There have been many advances in recent years, from new anatomical knowledge, new surgical techniques and the increasing possibility of using minimally invasive routes (laparoscopy and robotics). The postgraduate course in abdominal wall hernias will provide the complete training necessary for clinical and surgical practice in the correction of abdominal wall defects. There will be 4 modules covering anatomical concepts of the abdominal wall, the main surgical techniques, inguinal hernias, ventral hernias, incisional hernias, lumbar hernias and hiatus hernias. Through modules with extensive delivery of theoretical content, interspersed with practical activities in live model, cadaver lab, use of various simulation platforms and immersion activities with monitoring and hands-on practice in cases in the operating room accompanied by teachers who are expert surgeons in the abdominal wall and great references in the field.

MENTORS

Coordinators

TEACHERS

Concept, Practice & Immersive Environment

Methodology

The training is theoretical and practical in order to get to know the workings and components of the technological platform to be used in surgery.

All face-to-face training will involve the use of:

Simulation center and in the operating room, focusing on normal operation and problem solving.
Complementary pre-clinical training that will involve the development of motor skills based on simulation of the surgical techniques that are the focus of the training.
Surgical techniques will also be combined with the observation of surgical cases, giving the student experience as an assistant in procedures, as well as carrying out procedures in training and under supervision.
All these steps will be overseen by a preceptor surgeon with extensive practical experience and consolidated knowledge in the technical area being trained.

Classes will take place as follows:

EAD lectures given by leading professionals in the field, presentation of live surgeries and discussion of clinical cases.
Practical training on living and inanimate models.
Observational internship, which provides experience with the real routine of the Minimally Invasive Surgery service.

Hybrid Module	Activity	Day of the week	Schedule	Type	Daily (h/a)	Weekly (h/a)	Module	Total Course
	Lectures	2nd to 4th	19:00 a 22:00	Online	3	9	9	36
	Live Surgeries	6º	8:00 a 18:00	In person	10	10	10	40
	Hands-on practical classes	Saturday and Sunday	8:00 a 18:00	In person	10	20	20	80
	Analysis and Evaluation of Recorded Surgeries	Free	free	Online	9	9	9	36
Entrepreneurship and Medical Career Management Module	Theoretical Classes	To be determined	to be determined	Online	To be determined	To be determined	52	52
Supervised Internship	Surgery follow-up	2nd to 6th	8:00 a 17:00	In person	8	40	80	80
Complementary Activities	Reading Articles, Case Studies and Recorded Surgeries	Free	free	Online	Free	Free	9	36
TOTAL								360

DYNAMICS

6 months duration

Total workload of 360 hours, divided into 280 hours of theoretical and practical activities and 80 hours of supervised internship.

4 hybrid modules of 57h/y each

Face-to-face workload

10h/a of live surgery
20h/a of hands-on practice

Online workload

9h/a of live theoretical classes
9h of analysis/evaluation of advanced surgeries
9h of reading articles and studying cases

Supervised internship

80 hours of observational internship with the course coordinators

Entrepreneurship and medical career management

With a workload of 52 hours, the subject is taught entirely online

ACADEMIC PROGRAMMING

POSTGRADUATE DEGREE IN

MINI INVASIVE HERNIA SURGERY

Module 1

- History of hernia surgery
- Anatomy of the abdominal wall
- Anatomy of the inguinal region
- International guidelines and classifications of inguinal hernias
- General classification/division of abdominal wall hernias
- Diagnosis and indication for inguinal hernia surgery
- Open techniques for correcting inguinal hernias
- Femoral hernia and other occult hernias
- Inguino-crural hernia in the emergency room
- Inguinoscrotal hernia and large direct hernia
- Chronic pain after inguinal herniorrhaphy
- Sports hernia
- PTE and TAPP in inguinoscrotal hernia
- E-tep in inguinocrural hernias
- Robotic surgery for inguinal hernias

Module 2

- Sports hernia
- How do I choose a mesh?
- Types of fixation for the mesh
- Biological and absorbable mesh: does it make sense?
- Hernias in the pediatric population - an overview
- Planning: how to reduce the chances of complications in my surgery
- Planning: imaging tests
- Progressive pneumoperitoneum, how to do it?
- Botulinum toxin in abdominal wall hernia repair
- Prevention of abdominal wall hernias (prophylactic mesh ... laparotomy closure)
- Umbilical and epigastric hernia: treatment options
- Spigelian, flank, suprapubic and subxiphoid hernias: what now?
- Incisional hernias
- Lumbar hernias

Module 3

- Open Techniques: Anatomical Repairs with and without Mesh
- Hernia sac transposition (Alcino Lázaro technique)
- Separation of components - anterior
- Component separation
- Ventral hernia, which minimally invasive techniques can I recommend?
- Ipum, ipum plus
- Ventral tapp
- Etep and Retep
- Tarup
- Tarm
- Tar
- Lira

Module 4

- Milos and emilos
- Hiatus hernia (GERD)
- Diaphragmatic hernia - Morgagni and Bochdalek
- Treatment of parastomal hernias
- How to form a wall hernia center
- The role of the multidisciplinary team
- Radiology, artificial intelligence, robotics in the treatment of hernias
- Anesthesia in hernias
- Hernia research
- Importance of follow-up

Module 5: On-site supervised internship

Supervised internships are compulsory activities in which students are immersed in the routine of the surgical services in which the course coordinators and teachers work.

Module 6: Entrepreneurship and medical career management

This 100% online module aims to guide the career thinking of medical professionals in order to lay the foundations for career planning and entrepreneurship using design and planning tools with the structuring of scenarios and possible outcomes.