Marco Catena

Dr. Marco Catena is a senior surgeon in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery under the supervision of Professor Luca Aldrighetti. He is the coordinator of the lymphatic microsurgery program in the same department.

After graduating with honors from the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Milan in 1991, he received a doctorate in technological applications and experimental methodologies in surgery in 1994 (as a doctoral student in 1993, he completed an internship at Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, improving his microsurgical skills on small animal transplant models). In 1999, he graduated with honors in general surgery at the same university.

From a clinical point of view, the doctor is engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of neoplasms of the hepatobiliary system, as well as observation/surgical treatment of patients in critical condition, paying special attention to surgery of primary and metastatic neoplasms of the liver, as well as intra- and extrahepatic bile ducts. In this regard, Dr. Catena performs daily extensive resection operations on the liver by open and laparoscopic method as the first surgeon. He is part of a surgical team working on the development of robotic technology in the field of hepatobiliary resection surgery.

Collaborates as a mentor with colleagues from comprehensive departments of operative General surgery outside of Ospedale San Raffaele to develop and conduct activities in relation to hepatobiliary surgery in hospitals on the periphery.

He is actively involved as a Senior hepatobiliary Surgeon of the NET Ospedale San Raffaele Group, a Center of Excellence in the diagnosis and Treatment of Neuroendocrine tumors.

In the field of lymphatic surgery, he personally conducts surgical treatment of primary and secondary lymphedema by creating lymphatic and venous branches of the upper and lower extremities and male genitalia using microsurgery (supermicrosurgery technique).

Dr. Catena coordinates the outpatient activities of the Department of Surgical Treatment of lymphedema in the context of the work of the center accredited by the Lombardy region for the certification of rare pathology (primary chronic lymphedema - RGG020).

He works as a teacher at the Specialized School of General Surgery of the Vita Salute San Raffaele University in Milan.

He teaches at various national and international specialized courses on liver surgery both at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan and at the IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele:

• Theoretical and practical training courses resection surgery of the liver (Ospedale San Raffaele) quarterly;
• courses Medical Expert Training in Liver Surgery (Ospedale San Raffaele) on a quarterly basis;
• a teacher of the Italian school of minimally invasive liver surgery (Ospedale San Raffaele – coordinator of the center);
• lecturer at the school of surgery of the liver ACOI "Lorenzo Capussotti" (in Ospedale Mauriziano Torino – coordinator of the center).

As for research activities, the doctor is an expert in hepatobiliary and lymphatic surgery. He is a member of several scientific societies: the Italian Society of Surgery (SIC), the Italian Society of Endoscopic Surgery and New Technologies (SICE), the Italian Society of Phlebolymphology (SIFL).

He is the author and co-author of more than 200 publications in national and international scientific journals and book chapters. His Hirsch index is 18. He constantly participates as a speaker at national and international congresses.