From October 10 to 15, 2025, representatives of the Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University (LNMU) took part in a course on plastic reconstruction of the head and neck using human anatomical specimens at the Division of Macroscopic and Clinical Anatomy, Gottfried Schatz Research Center at the Medical University of Graz. The multidisciplinary team comprised 12 specialists from the fields of oral and maxillofacial surgery, oral surgery, general surgery, orthopedics and traumatology, and vascular surgery.
The course was organized by the Division of Macroscopic and Clinical Anatomy, headed by Niels Hammer and with the support of Veronica Antipova, in collaboration with the Med Uni Graz International Office and colleagues from the Division of Plastic Surgery (Lars-Peter Kamolz and Stefan Spendel and team) and the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (Wolfgang Zemann and Jürgen Wallner and team).
Furthermore, the course was supported by Martin Mühlbacher (head of the office of the Ministry of Health (BMASGPK) at the Austrian Embassy in Kyiv), by the Austrian Association of Cities and Towns, by Andreas Wenninger, from the OeAD Cooperation Office in Lviv and head of the Ukraine Office Austria, Section V – International Cultural Affairs, Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, as well as from UNIQA Insurance.
As part of the scientific-practical course, participants attended a series of lectures and demonstrations on the anatomy of the head, neck, and upper extremities, modern surgical approaches in oral, maxillofacial, and plastic surgery, and techniques for harvesting grafts from local and distant (forearm) areas.
In the practical part of the course, numerous surgical interventions were practiced on Thiel- embalmed anatomical specimens and clinical cases of complex facial tissue reconstruction were evaluated. In addition, a live broadcast of a surgery led by Stefan Spendel was organized from the operating room of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, during which a tongue tumor was removed and the defect was simultaneously reconstructed with a vascularized forearm flap.
“The knowledge and practical skills gained during this course are especially relevant today, in a time of ongoing military aggression against Ukraine. Modern reconstructive techniques are critically needed for the treatment of wounded soldiers and civilians who sustain complex craniofacial injuries. Strengthening our expertise in this field is not only vital for providing high-quality surgical care but also for training a new generation of specialists at our university who will be able to address these urgent clinical challenges”, says course participant Yuliya Medvid from the Department of Surgical Dentistry and Oral Surgery in Lviv.
The course participants were also given a tour of the facilities of the Division of Macroscopic and Clinical Anatomy. This gave them the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the methods used to preserve anatomical specimens and with the legal framework in Styria governing the use of body donor tissue for research and teaching purposes.
Yan Vares, Head of the Department of Dental, Maxillofacial, and Facial Surgery at Lviv Medical University, emphasizes the importance of the training stay: “Practicing a large number of surgical procedures on anatomical specimens’ material will undoubtedly improve the provision of surgical care to patients in need in Ukraine, as well as introduce the acquired knowledge into the educational process of LNMU students.”
The participants were particularly delighted that a guided tour of Graz was arranged with a Ukrainian-speaking guide, who introduced them to the rich history of the city and the traditions of Styria.
The knowledge and practical skills acquired will be applied in future medical work and teaching
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