Lorenzo Capussotti (1947–2014)

- The untimely loss of Prof Lorenzo Capussotti leaves a great void in the Italian Surgery. He was Director of the department of Hepato-biliarypancreatic and digestive surgery at the Ospedale Ordine Mauriziano of Turin, since last May, and earned the important position of director of the hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery program at the European Institute of Oncology in Milan. For his international importance he was conferred the title of honorary member of the Association Francaise de Chirurgie, of visiting professor at the University of Buenos Aires, of member of the Scientific Committee and Lecturer of the European Diploma Hepatic pancreatic and biliary cancers at the University of Paris Sud. At national level, he was Adjunct Professor at the School of Specialization in general surgery of the Universita` Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome, Adjunct Professor at the School of Specialization in general surgery at the Universita` del Piemonte Orientale Amedeo Avogadro in Novara and Adjunct Professor at the School of Specialization in General Surgery II of the University of Turin. He was an appreciated Member of numerous scientific societies such as European Surgical Association (ESA), International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (IHPBA), International Association of Surgeons and Gastroenterologists (IASG), Association de Chirurgie Hepato-biliaire et de transplantation hepatique, Federation de Recherche en Chirurgie (FRENCH), Association Recherche en Chirurgie (ARC), Italian Society of Surgery (SIC), and Italian Association of Hospital Surgeons (ACOI). He was Director of the ACOI National School of Hepatic Surgery and of various updating courses in hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery. He was author of 260 publications, many in international journals and wrote also 13 book chapters. He collaborated as reviewer in some of the most prestigious journals of surgery and was co-editor in chief for the journal of the Italian Society of Surgery Updates in Surgery. Since the early 1990s, Prof Capussotti was dedicated to the development and refinement of the techniques of minimally invasive surgery in which he had given a great impetus by applying it successfully to oncology surgery. The special attention devoted to the field of Hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery, the frequent cultural exchanges with the utmost national and international experts enabled him to become an absolute point of reference for young and experienced surgeons. The scientific activity was coordinated by him until the end: strikes and moves the appearance on Pub Med of eight articles published in the first half of 2014 in very important journals such as Annals of Surgery, European Journal of Surgical Oncology and British Journal of Surgery. For his very high qualification and for his large operative casuistry, he was invited to participate in the most important clinical trials for hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery. His interest in the field of oncology research disguised as technological innovations, complementary therapies, new therapeutic protocols validated by means of clinical trials and surveys highlight his personality of complete Surgeon. Italian Surgery has lost one of its most valuable and complete representatives who has always combined surgical knowledge with managerial capacity. Prof. Giorgio De Toma President of the Italian Society of Surgery (...truncated)