Events

MILANO | UNISVET Event Space - 18th-22nd MAY 2026

COURSE DIRECTOR
Dr. Angela Fadda - DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECVN, MRCVS

INSTRUCTORS
Dr. Angela Fadda - DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECVN, MRCVS

Dr. Nicolas Granger - DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECVN, FHEA, FRCVS

Dr. François-Xavier Liebel - DVM, Dipl. ECVN, MRCVS, FHEA, FRCVS

Dr. Lorenzo Mari - DVM, Dipl. ECVN, MRCVS

Dr. Sara Silva - DVM, MSc, Dipl. ECVN, MRCVS

This course will provide participants with lectures and hands-on training on the  eurosurgical techniques most commonly used in the veterinary field. 

Lecturers and instructors, all of whom are EBVS-ECVN recognized specialists, will ensure that theoretical background and a proper exchange on practical aspects is provided.

Unisvet Neurosurgery course can host a maximum number of 16 attendees in order to ensure high quality of training and exposition to a diverse array of neurosurgical techniques
and related equipment during the five wet lab sessions.

Aim of this course is to build confidence in common neurosurgical approaches and techniques and to provide a grounding on pre-surgical planning.

There will be ample opportunity to discuss risks and benefits of each surgical procedure, including an overview of controversial topics in veterinary neurosurgery through a
review of current literature.

The course is open for veterinary surgeons with specific interest in neurosurgery, ECVN and ECVS residents in training and specialist wishing to continue their education and sharing their experience.

Monday 18/05/2026 - BRAIN SURGERY
08:30 - 09:00 Registration and Welcome coffee
09:00 - 09:45 Intracranial surgery - pt. 1: indications, instrumentation, pre-operative
considerations - Dr. N. Granger
09:45 - 10:30 Intracranial surgery, evidence from Literature - Dr. A. Fadda
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 12:30 Intracranial surgery - pt. 2: frontal and rostrotentorial approaches;
ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement, pituitary surgery: indications and outcomes
Dr. N. Granger
12:30 - 14:00 Light Lunch
14:00 - 16:00 Wet Lab - Dr. A. Fadda, Dr. N. Granger, Dr. S. Silva
16:00 - 16:30 Coffee Break
16:30 - 17:30 Wet Lab - Dr. A. Fadda, Dr. N. Granger, Dr. S. Silva

Tuesday 19/05/2026 - SURGERY OF THE CERVICAL SPINE
08:30 - 09:00 Welcome coffee
09:00 - 09:45 Ventral decompression: indications, technique, complications, prognosis
Dr. N. Granger
09:45 - 10:30 Dorsal and lateral approaches to the cervical spine: indications, technique,
complications, prognosis - Dr. N. Granger
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:45 Atlanto axial fixation - Dr. N. Granger
11:45 - 12:30 Distraction/fusion techniques for the cervical spine - Dr. N. Granger
12:30 - 14:00 Light Lunch
14:00 - 16:00 Wet Lab - Dr. A. Fadda, Dr. N. Granger, Dr. S. Silva
16:00 - 16:30 Coffee Break
16:30 - 17:30 Wet Lab - Dr. A. Fadda, Dr. N. Granger, Dr. S. Silva

Wednesday 20/05/2026 - SURGERY OF THE THORACOLUMBAL SPINE - I
08:30 - 09:00 Welcome coffee
09:00 - 09:45 Lateral approaches: hemilaminectomy, mini-hemilaminectomy,
pediculectomy - Dr. L. Mari
09:45 - 10:30 Corpectomy and disc fenestration - Dr. A. Fadda
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:45 Dorsal approaches to the thoracolumbal spine and spinal - Dr. F. Liebel
11:45 - 12:30 IVDD: clinical reasoning in spinal surgical decompression - Dr. L. Mari
12:30 - 14:00 Light Lunch
14:00 - 16:00 - Wet Lab - Dr. A. Fadda, Dr. F. Liebel, Dr. L. Mari, Dr. S. Silva
16:00 - 16:30 Coffee Break
16:30 - 17:30 - Wet Lab - Dr. A. Fadda, Dr. F. Liebel, Dr. L. Mari, Dr. S. Silva

Thursday 21/05/2026 - SURGERY OF THE THORACOLUMBAL SPINE - II
08:30 - 09:00 Welcome coffee
09:00 - 09:45 Spinal fractures/luxations repair - Dr. F. Liebel
09:45 - 10:30 Implants and fixation techniques - Dr. F. Liebel
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:45 Spinal arachnoidal diverticulum - Dr. A. Fadda
11:45 - 12:30 Spinal malformation: a surgical approach - Dr. A. Fadda
12:30 - 14:00 Light Lunch
14:00 - 15:00 Exploring a new era of vertebral fixation in veterinary medicine: polyaxial
screws. Brief overview of clinical cases treated with PedroSystem - Dr. Omar Del Vecchio
15:00 - 16:00 Wet Lab - Dr. A. Fadda, Dr. F. Liebel, Dr. L. Mari, Dr. S. Silva
16:00 - 16:30 Coffee Break
16:30 - 17:30 Wet Lab - Dr. A. Fadda, Dr. F. Liebel, Dr. L. Mari, Dr. S. Silva

Friday 22/05/2026 - SURGERY OF THE LUMBOSACRAL SPINE
08:30 - 09:00 Welcome coffee
09:00 - 09:45 Dorsal decompression - Dr. F. Liebel
09:45 - 10:30 Foraminal approaches - Dr. F. Liebel
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:45 Lumbosacral fixation I & II - Dr. F. Liebel
11:45 - 12:30 Lumbosacral disease in dogs: medical vs surgical treatment - Dr. A. Fadda
12:30 - 14:00 Light Lunch
14:00 - 16:00 Wet Lab - Dr. A. Fadda, Dr. F. Liebel, Dr. S. Silva
16:00 - 16:30 Coffee Break
16:30 - 17:30 Wet Lab - Dr. A. Fadda, Dr. F. Liebel, Dr. S. Silva

COURSE DIRECTOR

Dr. Angela Fadda - DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECVN, MRCVS
Angela graduated in Italy at the University of Parma. After dedicating some years working in general practice and small animal hospitals in Italy, she moved to Switzerland, where she completed a residency training programme in Neurology at the University of Bern before
successfully sitting the examination for the European College of Veterinary Neurologist.
She has worked as Senior clinician in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery at the veterinary teaching hospital of the same institution.
From 2013 to 2017 she has also carried out a research project focused on infectious disease of the nervous system at the Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, (Division of neurological sciences, Neurocenter - University of Bern) obtaining a PhD in the
field of Neuroscience.
Angela has moved in United Kingdom in 2017 and she has worked at the referral hospital Lumbry Park Veterinary Specialists running the neurology and neurosurgery service.
She has then joined Langford Veterinary Services- University of Bristol, as a Senior neurologist, having primary responsibility for neurological cases referred to the hospital and supervising residents, interns and students.
Angela has lectured widely both nationally and internationally, and she is interested in all areas of small animal neurology, with particular focus on infectious diseases of the central nervous system and neurosurgery.

INSTRUCTOR

Dr. Nicolas Granger - DVM, PhD, Dipl. ECVN, FHEA, FRCVS
Nicolas received his veterinary degree from the National Veterinary School of Alfort, France, in 2002, where he completed an internship and his neurology and neurosurgery training to become a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology in 2006.
He ran the neurology and neurosurgery service at the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, University of Cambridge until 2008 and obtained a PhD in neuroscience in 2012 there. He continued his research and teaching as Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol
from 2012 to 2016.
He now works as a clinical neurologist at Bristol Veterinary Specialists (Highcroft referrals) part of CVS referrals, where he provides state of-the art diagnostics and treatments for companion animals with neurological conditions.
Nicolas is Senior Research Fellow at the Royal Veterinary College, where his research is based. His main interest and research focus on treatments for spinal cord injury in dogs, including transplantation of cells for spinal cord regeneration and repair, clinical trials for
new therapies, and neuromodulation for incontinence control.
Nicolas offers unique procedures, such as implantation of sacral neuroprosthese for incontinence control, urodynamics, and also hypophysectomy in dogs and cats.

Dr. François-Xavier Liebel - DVM, Dipl. ECVN, MRCVS, FHEA, FRCVS
Francois graduated from the National Veterinary School of Toulouse, France, in 2008. After a brief period in general practice in France, he completed a one-year rotating internship at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in the United States. From
2010 to 2016, he worked as a neurology clinician at a private referral practice in Hertfordshire, UK, and became a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurologists (ECVN) in 2013.
He later joined a large referral hospital near London, followed by a position at the University of Bristol (Langford Vets). In 2025, he co-founded Vet Neuro Specialists®, an online veterinary neurology and neurosurgery consultancy, and relocated to Switzerland,
where he currently works in a referral center near Lake Geneva.
His clinical interests cover all aspects of veterinary neurology, with a particular focus on the diagnosis and surgical management of brain and spinal tumors.

Dr. Lorenzo Mari - DVM, Dipl. ECVN, MRCVS
Lorenzo graduated with honours in 2010 from the University of Milan. After a few months working in a general practice in Italy, he moved to the UK where he completed an externship and then a rotating internship at the VRCC Veterinary Referrals (now
Southfields Veterinary Specialists).
In 2013 he Joined the Animal Health Trust to undergo a specialist internship followed by a 3-year residency in veterinary neurology and neurosurgery. In 2018 he passed his board exam, becoming a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Neurology (Dip.
ECVN) and a EBVS and RCVS recognized specialist in veterinary neurology.
Since then, he worked in multiple referral centers including Wear Referrals Veterinary Specialist Hospital and North Downs Specialist Referrals in the UK, and the Istituto Veterinario di Novara in Italy, to then be appointed as head of neurology and neurosurgery
department at The Ralph Veterinary Referral Centre, the biggest independent multidisciplinary referral center in the UK, from 2022 to 2025.
Since January 2026, he moved to the south of Switzerland to lead the neurology and neurosurgery department at the Clinica Veterinaria La Trinità, in Lugano. Lorenzo is author of numerous papers published on peer-reviewed international veterinary journals
on various topics of veterinary neurology, and he is speaker at national and international seminars, courses and congresses. Since 2025, he is also member of the education committee of the ECVN.

Dr. Sara Silva - DVM, MSc, Dipl. ECVN, MRCVS
Sara graduated from the University of Lisbon in November 2016 with a master’s thesis project on degenerative lumbosacral stenosis. She then moved to the United Kingdom, and underwent a surgical internship at Fitzpatrick Referrals, an orthopaedics and neurology
referral centre in Surrey. This was followed by time in general practice in Warwickshire in a busy 24h hospital. After this, she enrolled in a rotating internship at the University of Glasgow, and a neurology internship at the University of Cambridge. She then completed
a Neurology residency programme at Langford Vets, University of Bristol, thereafter, obtaining RCVS and European Specialist status. She currently works at a busy referral centre in Wiltshire, United Kingdom.

Course Fee EARLY BIRD: € 3.000 + VAT
within 18th April 2026 unless SOLD OUT
Course Fee LATE REGISTRATION: € 3.300 + VAT
within 04th May 2026 unless SOLD OUT

RESTRICTED ACCESS COURSE: MAX 16 ATTENDEES
UNISVET EVENT SPACE Via Salvator Rosa 14, Milano
Information
• Registrations will close on the date indicated above, unless the maximum number of
participants is reachedbefore this deadline (SOLD OUT)
• Registrations on our webiste www.unisvet.it on the webpage dedicated to the event
• Only Unisvet members can register for the course (Unisvet membership is free)
• In no case the registration fee will be refounded, not even a partial amount of it,
except in case of cancellation of the course by UNISVET
• In the event that the participant, after having paid the registration fee, can no longer
attend the course, he will still have to pay the entire contribution fee and the sums
already paid cannot be refounded.

Registration will be confirmed if
• You receive, within 2/3 weekdays, a confirmation from UNISVET; otherwise please
contact our secretary office
• Followed, in case of payment with wire transfer, within 48 hours from the copy of
the payment sent by e-mail segreteria@unisvet.it; otherwise the registration will be
cancelled as a matter of course with no further communications

The registration entitles to
• Participate to the course
• Technical material for practical sessions
• Course proceeding
• Attendance certificate
• N.30 SPC credits (for Italian vets)
• Coffee break and Light Lunch
Please send an email to segreteria@unisvet.it for any food intolerance and special diets.

For information please contact: segreteria@unisvet.it
Website: www.unisvet.it
Phone: 02 89073858