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Dear Colleagues,
It is with great pleasure that I introduce the 2026 edition of a special event of the EHNS Academy: “OPHLs from A to Z”, a European course entirely dedicated to open partial surgery of the larynx.
Building on the great success of last year’s edition and taking full advantage of the valuable feedback provided by course participants, the program has been further refined and expanded. In recent years, laryngeal surgery—particularly open partial horizontal laryngectomy (OPHL)—has experienced renewed growth and interest. In this highly demanding and precise field, even minimal technical or surgical details may significantly influence both oncological and functional outcomes.
Our experience, together with the relative rarity of these procedures in daily practice, has confirmed that partial laryngeal surgery requires dedicated training pathways, specifically focused on the practical and propedeutic steps of OPHLs. For this reason, the course has been enriched with new dedicated lectures on specimen management, virtual surgical planning, and the role of OPHL within contemporary global strategies of laryngeal organ preservation, providing a comprehensive and up-to-date framework for clinical decision-making. In addition, the 2026 edition will include a structured analysis and presentation of the so-called “gray zones” in diagnosis and treatment, offering participants a critical perspective on borderline indications and complex scenarios.
Great emphasis will once again be placed on live surgery and cadaveric dissections performed by expert surgeons and projected in 3D on a large screen, as well as 3D re-live surgical sessions. This approach will allow participants to better appreciate the advantages and limitations of each surgical technique, with particular attention to patterns of tumor spread within the larynx and to the strategic positioning of OPHL within modern organ preservation pathways.
The course will take place at San Giovanni Bosco Hospital in Turin. Its aim remains strictly practical, with a strong focus on improving manual skills, refining patient selection through virtual planning, and strengthening the strategic approach to OPHLs in contemporary laryngeal oncology.
I can therefore only wish you an engaging and rewarding learning experience.
Giovanni Succo
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