Home - DCK 2026

Welcome to the 143rd Congress of the German Society of Surgery.

Here you can find all information regarding the congress in Leipzig.

Prof. Dr. Roland Goldbrunner, President of the DGCH 2025/2026

Dear colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure and honour to invite you, on behalf of the German Society of Surgery (DGCH) and our partners at the German Society for General and Visceral Surgery (DGAV) and the German Society of Paediatric Surgery (DGKJCH), to the 143rd German Surgery Congress (DCK) in Leipzig in April 2026.

We are living in turbulent times. Many of our established social and political achievements are under growing scrutiny. The truth can no longer be taken for granted. And even our democracies are fighting for survival. In an increasingly complex world, individual egos have arguably come to dominate the landscape in such an unchecked way that many struggle to compromise or engage in genuine social interaction. That’s why, as surgeons, our mission has never been more vital. We will continue to uphold the highest standards of patient care and stand together – across disciplines and professions – to demonstrate our commitment to true and respectful collaboration…

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The theme of DCK 2026 is “Passion, Precision and Personalisation”. Passion is the driving force that fuels our ability to care for our patients, meet intense demands and overcome significant challenges in our work. Precision is an essential tool that ensures the quality of our services. And personalisation keeps us in tune with modern clinical guidelines as we strive to deliver treatments precisely tailored to each individual patient.

I am deeply committed to intensifying our scientific endeavours. If we want to succeed in promoting science and shaping public policy, we need to demonstrate that we are advancing surgery through meaningful insights and innovation.

DCK 2026 will reach out to young surgeons more than ever before, encouraging them to take an active interest in scientific questions alongside their everyday clinical practice. To foster a sense of belonging and involvement, we will be expanding our range of tried-and-tested interactive formats – from “Arena” debates and pro/con sessions to open case discussions and moderated expert panels.

This year’s guest nation will be the United Kingdom. We look forward to welcoming a delegation from the Royal College of Surgeons. We will join them in hosting a number of international sessions with representatives from other countries.

In addition to valuable contributions from all surgical societies organised under the umbrella of the DGCH, I am pleased to announce that the German Society for Spine Surgery (DGW) will be joining DCK 2026 for the first time as an official partner.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our industry partners for their unwavering loyalty – even in an increasingly challenging economy. We truly value your support and look forward to working with you again in the coming year. We hope that you, too, will benefit from the dynamic and interactive formats, some of which will be held as part of the industry exhibition.

Together with my team and the presidents of the DGCH member societies, I sincerely hope we can provide you with an exciting and stimulating congress experience next year. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you – in large numbers – to the 143rd German Surgery Congress in Leipzig!

Prof. Dr. Roland Goldbrunner

President of the DGCH 2025/2026
Director of the Centre for Neurosurgery
University Hospital Cologne

Prof. Dr. Jörg-Peter Ritz

Greeting DGAV

Dear colleagues,

It is my great pleasure to invite you, on behalf of the German Society for General and Visceral Surgery (DGAV), to the 143rd German Surgery Congress (DCK) in Leipzig.

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This year’s congress theme – “Passion, Precision and Personalisation” – captures the evolving nature of modern surgery in a rapidly changing landscape.

Surgery requires passion, creativity, critical thinking, dedication, commitment and empathy. This is about the trust we build with patients who undergo the deeply life-changing experience of surgery and place their confidence in our expertise. But it also reflects the passion we have for our field beyond the “perfect world” of the operating theatre.

Surgery requires precision, accuracy, consistency and foresight. In recent years, enhanced surgical training and numerous technological advancements have led to continuous improvements in diagnostics, surgical indications and operative techniques. With the advent of robotic surgery, increasing digitalisation and the use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, surgical precision is set to reach new levels – with fewer complications and better outcomes for patients.

Surgery requires personalisation, individualised techniques, multimodal therapies, interdisciplinary collaboration and perioperative concepts. While standardisation is necessary and beneficial, surgical decisions must ultimately be guided by each patient’s unique characteristics, morbidity and anatomy.

As the leading interdisciplinary congress for surgical societies in Germany, DCK 2026 will once again bring together specialists from all fields to exchange insights and discuss the latest developments, innovations, techniques, research findings and studies.

On behalf of the entire congress team, I look forward to welcoming you – in person or virtually – to the 143rd German Surgery Congress in Leipzig. This is the perfect opportunity to share ideas, learn something new and connect with your peers.

Warmest regards,

Prof. Jörg-Peter Ritz

Prof. Dr. med. Martin Kaiser

Greeting DGKJCH

Dear colleagues,
Dear students, nurses and members of the emergency services,

It is a great pleasure and honour to invite you, on behalf of the German Society of Paediatric Surgery (DGKJCH), to take part in our virtual exchange from 14 to 16 April 2026 and then to attend the 143rd German Surgery Congress (DCK) and the 63rd Annual Meeting of the DGKJCH in Leipzig from 22 to 24 April 2026.

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The guiding theme for DCK 2026 is “Passion, Precision and Personalisation”. All members of the surgical community can affirm that our profession is fuelled by passion – we wouldn’t be able to meet today’s challenges without it. In paediatric surgery, precision is absolutely vital – especially when operating on extremely premature infants. And in our field, personalisation means tailoring every aspect of care to the individual needs of children and adolescents at every stage of development and recognising the concerns of their parents and guardians.

Our society’s key priorities remain as important as ever and will continue to guide our actions in the future. In partnership with related disciplines, we plan to address pressing issues such as the integration and mastery of artificial intelligence and the education of aspiring surgeons. In numerous interdisciplinary sessions, we will set the course for the future of paediatric and operative medicine by critically examining emerging technologies such as robotics, ensuring they are tailored to the specific needs of paediatric care.

We look forward to a congress filled with in-depth discussions and fresh perspectives. With a range of engaging topics and new interactive formats, we aim to inspire the next generation of aspiring surgeons and encourage them to embrace this excellent opportunity for shared learning and healing.

On behalf of Prof. Roland Goldbrunner, President of the DGCH, and Dr Barbara Ludwikowski, President of the DGKJCH, I warmly welcome you to our exciting event in Leipzig.

Best wishes,

Prof. Martin Kaiser