Reporter

Thank you for being with us, Professor Cau and Dr. Fodor. We are delighted to have the opportunity to speak with you today. Could you please tell us a few words about yourselves and the most significant projects you have worked on?

Prof. Dr. Jérôme Cau

Thank you very much for this interview. My name is Jérôme Cau, and I work in France, in Marseille, within a large private healthcare network. I have developed a training system in France for surgery that helps train both young and experienced surgeons in new technologies, such as endovascular and laparoscopic techniques. I am here to treat patients in collaboration with Dr. Marius Fodor, applying the new trend in vascular surgery — endovascular treatment.

Dr. Marius Fodor

My name is Marius Fodor. I am a specialist in vascular surgery, and I am honored to collaborate with Professor Cau. We extend our work from vascular surgery to general surgery, which allows us to approach complex cases that require both vascular and laparoscopic procedures. In the future, we expect vascular surgery to increasingly involve endoscopic techniques as well.

Reporter

Professor Cau, how did you come to work with doctors from Romania?

Prof. Dr. Jérôme Cau

I have been delighted to work with my friend Dr. Fodor and to collaborate with him for several years. I am actively involved in Romania through operations at Clinica VenArt, which is a Romanian center that offers some of the best services in surgery and medicine. It also serves as a bridge between foreign and local Romanian teams, bringing the latest technologies and trends in both vascular and general surgery. This partnership builds a strong connection between our countries, treating patients and developing new academic standards for medicine in both France and Romania. That is how I have been working here for several years.

Reporter

Can you tell us what types of surgical procedures you perform? We understand you are both vascular and general surgeons.

Prof. Dr. Jérôme Cau

Yes, in vascular surgery, we operate together on complex cases that combine endovascular repairs with stenting and open surgical techniques. This allows us to treat advanced arterial diseases using minimally invasive methods. For example, in cases of complete occlusion, a radiologist or cardiologist might only use endovascular techniques, while a vascular surgeon might perform classic open surgery. 

We combine these approaches by using a small incision, even in severe arterial diseases, along with endovascular methods like balloons and stents. We can treat multiple regions, such as the abdomen and peripheral vessels, and we are constantly developing advanced techniques, including complex aortic surgery.

In general surgery, we are trained in laparoscopy and perform many types of procedures. One example is adrenal gland surgery, which is technically complex and performed laparoscopically.

Dr. Marius Fodor

Working with Professor Cau is unique in Romania, especially in the area of arterial endovascular techniques. I would also like to highlight that we perform advanced venous procedures, such as stenting of the iliac veins or visceral veins, including renal veins — these are complex and delicate interventions. Combining this expertise with laparoscopic techniques gives us a clear advantage because we specialize in both general and vascular surgery.

Reporter

Professor Cau, what is your opinion on the training and knowledge available to Romanian doctors? We would like to benefit from high-quality medical services in Romania, similar to those in countries with advanced healthcare systems. How can we achieve this?

Prof. Dr. Jérôme Cau

In France, we face similar challenges in providing practical training for young surgeons in advanced techniques. That is why we have developed new training centers that train residents to a very high level using motion-capture labs and cutting-edge technology. We plan to bring this approach to Romania through Clinica VenArt, together with Dr. Fodor, to train surgeons in endovascular and advanced laparoscopic skills. Our goal is to build a national collaboration between France and Romania for academic knowledge and training.

It is not difficult to build training centers. We are developing a curriculum for young residents that outlines what they must learn and practice. We also provide personalized training for experienced surgeons to develop new skills, such as laparoscopic adrenal surgery, complex carotid surgery, and complex aortic procedures.

This leads to safer treatment for patients, as surgeons will already be well-trained in dedicated centers, properly evaluated, and fully prepared to perform these advanced surgeries under safe conditions. This makes a real difference for patients because surgeons will have better technical skills and be ready to adopt even newer methods such as robotic surgery. It will be an exciting journey with the help of Clinica VenArt to build a strong link between our two countries. We also want to bring Romanian surgeons to France so they can train in our centers and become future trainers themselves — passing on their knowledge to new generations in Romania.