The treatment of the first patient in Greece to undergo a liver transplant surgery with a graft from a related donor was an absolute success. This crucial operation carried out in the past only in highly specialized centres abroad marks a historic achievement of the people at the NKUA’s School of Medicine and the General University Hospital of Athens ‘Laiko’. A team led by Georgios Sotiropoulos, Professor of Surgery and Head of the Liver Transplantation Unit at the 2nd Department of Propedeutic Surgery of the University of Athens (Director of the Department: Professor Nikolaos Nikiteas) performed the operation. This kind of surgery, the pinnacle of liver transplantations, widens the pool of grafts available and gives patients waiting for a liver transplant the opportunity to receive a unique gift of life while also preserving the safety of the donor.
According to the Chair of the School of Medicine, Professor of Surgery, Nikolaos Arkadopoulos: ‘After 186 years of continuous operation, the NKUA’s School of Medicine has evolved into an international centre of excellence providing patients in Greece with services equivalent to those of the most advanced healthcare systems in the world. The Hellenic Ministry of Health has consistently supported the School of Medicine’s efforts to remain at the forefront of global science for the benefit of the Greek National Health System.’
Both the Dean of the School of Health Sciences, Professor of Surgery, Emmanouil Pikoulis, and the Rector of NKUA, Professor of Cardiology, Gerasimos Siasos, commended the team of University doctors and nurses.
According to the Rector of NKUA, Professor Gerasimos Siasos: ‘The University of Athens is a center of excellence and pioneering research in many scientific fields, as evidenced in its position in global rankings as the top University in Southeastern Europe but mainly in its academic staff and graduates distinguishing themselves internationally’.
