About Rare Surgical Cases
A cross-specialty surgical atlas by Dr. Vasilios M. Penopoulos
The Project
Rare Surgical Cases is a digital platform and forthcoming print atlas documenting over 320 rare and challenging surgical presentations encountered during three decades of clinical practice at the General Hospital of Thessaloniki "G. Papanikolaou" — one of northern Greece's largest public tertiary referral centres.
The project aims to fill a genuine gap in surgical education: no existing major reference combines cross-specialty breadth, large-volume rare case documentation, and a single-surgeon clinical perspective across all surgical domains.
About the Author
Dr. Vasilios M. Penopoulos, MD
Former Senior Surgical Consultant & Head of Department
2nd Surgical Department, General Hospital of Thessaloniki "G. Papanikolaou"
Currently: Private Practice, International Interbalkan Medical Center, Thessaloniki, Greece
UK-trained at Leeds General Infirmary, St. James's University Hospital, and Killingbeck Cardiothoracic Hospital (1985–1992), Dr. Penopoulos joined G. Papanikolaou Hospital in 1995, rising to Head of the 2nd Surgical Department in 2013. Over his career he performed more than 30,000 operations, trained dozens of surgeons, and introduced laparoscopic, bariatric, advanced hepatobiliary, esophageal, pancreatic and colorectal techniques to his department.
Memberships: Hellenic Surgical Society · Surgical Society of Northern Greece · British Medical Association · American Medical Association · Medical Association of Thessaloniki
The Atlas
The surgical atlas — titled "Όταν το Σπάνιο γίνεται Πρόκληση" (When the Rare Becomes a Challenge) — covers 16 surgical domains including hepatobiliary, colorectal, endocrine, vascular, and retroperitoneal surgery. Each case follows a structured format: clinical presentation, diagnostic approach, operative strategy, outcome, key learning points, and literature context.
A print edition is in preparation for submission to major academic publishers (Elsevier, Thieme, Springer). The digital platform provides searchable access to the full case archive.
For academic collaboration or media enquiries: [email protected]