Dr. Gonzalo Samitier Solís

Areas of expertise

Shoulder

• Shoulder instability and dislocation: Bankart, remplissage and arthroscopic Latarjet
• Glenoid bone block procedures
• Rotator cuff tears, including irreparable tears
• Tendon transfers (lower trapezius, pectoralis major)
• Acromioclavicular joint injuries

He treats athletes at every level. He leads the Catalonia area of the Royal Spanish Winter Sports Federation (RFEDI) and is consultant to Club Joventut Badalona (Liga ACB). The Samitier Sports team is also medical partner of the Firenze Red Lions and FC Badalona Women.

Joint replacements are performed by other surgeons of the team, in the Knee Unit and the Shoulder Unit.

Original surgical techniques

Dr. Samitier has described and published several original techniques:

• Iberian Braid (Hamstring Braid Graft): braided hamstring autograft preparation for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, developed with Dr. Gustavo Vinagre (Arthroscopy Techniques, 2019).
• Lateral Pie-Crusting: percutaneous lateral collateral ligament release for knee arthroscopy (2022).
• Invisible Repair: acromioclavicular fracture-dislocation fixation with cerclages and osteosutures (2022).
• PACI: particulated autologous chondral–PRP matrix implantation (2021).
• All-arthroscopic meniscal allograft transplantation with bone plugs and preloaded sutures (2020), and one-stage osteochondral fracture repair with knotless anchors (2020).

Training and career

• Medical degree, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (1992–1998).
• Residency in Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa (Madrid).
• PhD in Medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (2011), summa cum laude. Honours in the Spanish and European specialty examinations (2011).
• 2005–2008: Hospital El Pilar (Barcelona), Dr. Ramón Cugat’s team.
• 2008–2011: Clínica Gastaldi (Valencia).
• 2011: sports medicine, knee and shoulder fellowship, University of Florida, Gainesville (USA).
• 2012: sports and shoulder surgery fellowship, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit (USA).
• 2013: shoulder surgery fellowship, Clinique Générale d’Annecy (France), Dr. Laurent Lafosse’s team.
• ESSKA-APKASS Traveling Fellowship (Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore).
• 2014–2019: Hospital General de Villalba, Quirónsalud Group (Madrid), Head of the Shoulder and Upper Limb Section.
• 2019–2020: Hospital Quirónsalud Barcelona, Instituto Cugat.
• Since 2021: founder and director of Samitier Sports Clinic and Head of Department at Hospital Quirónsalud Badalona and Centro Médico Quirónsalud Aribau / Hospital El Pilar.

Research and teaching

• More than 50 scientific publications with over 2,690 citations, 25 book chapters and more than 80 invited lectures.
• Board member of the ESSKA Sports Knee Section.
• Former Director of the Knee Section of the Spanish Arthroscopy Association (AEA) National Arthroscopy Training Programme, board member of the European Shoulder Section (ESA-ESSKA) and chair of the ESSKA ACL Certification Module.
• Former EBOT examiner, editorial board member of Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy (KSSTA) and member of the AAOS and ISAKOS sports medicine committees (2015–2021).
• Former reviewer for The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery and Journal of ISAKOS.
• Faculty for AEA, SECOT and ESSKA courses. Hosts international fellows in his department.
• Societies: ESSKA, AEA and SECOT (formerly AAOS, AANA, ISAKOS, SECHC, SETRADE and SLARD).

Peer-reviewed publications

• Demirkıran ND, Vinagre G, Öner SK, Batak U, Solís GS. Comparison of Braided and Nonbraided Hamstring Tendon Grafts in ACL Reconstruction: Impact on Graft Thickness, Rerupture Rates, and Clinical Outcomes. Orthop J Sports Med. 2026;14(4).
• Ariel de Lima D, Vinagre G, Samitier G, Helito CP, Canuto SMG. Four-Strand Hamstring Braid Graft for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. Arthrosc Tech. 2025;14(7):103623.
• Samitier G, Vinagre G, González-Martín D. Acromioclavicular Fracture-Dislocation Fixation Technique With Cerclages and Osteosutures: The “Invisible” Repair. Arthrosc Tech. 2022;11(4):e523-e529.
• Samitier G, Gambín J, Saenz I, Vinagre G. Percutaneous Lateral Collateral Ligament Release for Arthroscopic Procedures of the Knee: The “Lateral Pie-Crusting”. Arthrosc Tech. 2022;11(12):e2365-e2370.
• Solís GS, Waghchoure C, Vinagre G. Symptomatic ACL mucoid degeneration in middle-age athletes. J Orthop. 2022;31:67-71.
• Padilla S, Sánchez M, Vaquerizo V, Malanga GA, Fiz N, Azofra J, Rogers CJ, Samitier G, et al. Platelet-Rich Plasma Applications for Achilles Tendon Repair: A Bridge between Biology and Surgery. Int J Mol Sci. 2021;22(2):824.
• Seijas R, Barastegui D, López-de-Celis C, Montaña F, Cuscó X, Alentorn-Geli E, Samitier-Solís G, Cugat R. Preoperative risk factors in hip arthroscopy. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2021;29(5):1502-1509.
• Cugat R, Samitier G, Vinagre G, Sava M, Alentorn-Geli E, García-Balletbó M, Cuscó X, Seijas R, Barastegui D, Navarro J, Laiz P. Particulated Autologous Chondral–PRP Matrix Implantation (PACI) for Full-Thickness Cartilage Osteochondral Defects. Arthrosc Tech. 2021;10(2):e539-e544.
• Samitier G, Vinagre G, Cugat R, Seijas R, Barastegui D. One-Stage Osteochondral Fracture Repair Technique With Knotless Anchors and Interconnected Crossing Suture Sliding Loops for the Knee. Arthrosc Tech. 2020;9(11):e1813-e1818.
• Alentorn-Geli E, Cuscó X, Navarro J, Seijas R, Barastegui D, Samitier G, Steinbacher G, Álvarez-Díaz P, Ramírez J, Cugat R. Circumferential Surrounding (“Sandwich”) Meniscal Repair: A Salvage Technique to Save the Meniscus. Arthrosc Tech. 2020 Sep 24;9(10):e1467-e1473.
• Samitier G, Maestro A. Consensus AEA-LATAM meniscal pathology: from preservation to transplant. Revista española de Artroscopia y Cirugía articular (REACA). Vol. 27. Fasc. 2. Núm. 68. Junio 2020
• Samitier G, Vinagre G, Laiz-Boada P, García-Balletbó M, Sava M, Alentorn-Geli E, Cugat R. Cartilage Repair: What Works in Young Arthritic Knees. Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics Vol 5, Issue 1; Jan-Jun 2020, page: 8-14.
• Samitier G, Vinagre G, Alentorn-Geli E, Sava M, Cugat R. All-Arthroscopic Meniscal Allograft Transplantation Technique with Bone Plugs and Preloaded Sutures. Arthrosc Tech. 2020;9(9):e1357-e1362.
• Cugat R, Alentorn-Geli E, Navarro J, Cuscó X, Steinbacher G, Seijas R, Álvarez-Díaz P, Barastegui D, Laiz P, Samitier G, García-Balletbó M. A novel autologous-made matrix using hyaline cartilage chips and platelet-rich growth factors for the treatment of full-thickness cartilage or osteochondral defects: Preliminary results. J Orthop Surg (Hong Kong). 2020 Jan-Apr;28(1)
• Samitier G, Vinagre G. Hamstring Braid Graft Technique for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction. Arthrosc Tech. 2019;8(8):e815-e820.
• Samitier G, Marcano A, Alentorn-Geli E, Cugat R, Farmer KW, Moser MW. Failure of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Arch Bone Jt Surg. 2015 Oct;3(4):220-40.
• Farmer K, Samitier G, Marcano A. Transosseous equivalent pectoralis major repair. Int J Shoulder Surg. 2015 Jan-Mar;9(1):20-3.
• Samitier G, Alentorn-Geli E, Torrens C, Wright TW. Reverse shoulder arthroplasty, Systematic review and Metaanalysis of the results (part 1). Int J Shoulder Surg. 2015 Jan-Mar;9(1):24-31
• Samitier G, Alentorn-Geli E, Marcano A, Lock T, Moutzouros V, Rill B, Kolowich P. Meniscal allograft transplantation. Part 2: systematic review of transplant timing, outcomes, return to competition, associated procedures, and prevention of osteoarthritis. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2015 Jan;23(1):323-33.
• Samitier G, Alentorn-Geli E, Marcano A, Lock T, Moutzouros V, Rill B, Kolowich P. Meniscal allograft transplantation. Part 1: systematic review of graft biology, graft shrinkage, graft extrusion, graft sizing, and graft fixation. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2015 Jan;23(1):310-22.
• Marcano A, Samitier G, Wright TW, Farmer KW. Stress fracture of second rib and scapular spine in a female softball player; a case report and review of literature. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2014 Sep-Oct;13(5):314-8.
• Rosso C, Bongiorno V, Samitier G, Dumont GD, Szöllösy G, Lafosse L. Technical guide and tips on the all-arthroscopic Latarjet procedure. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2014 May 10.
• Samitier G, Alentorn-Geli E (equal contribution), Alvarez P, Steinbacher G, Cugat R. Anteromedial portal versus transtibial drilling techniques in ACL reconstruction: a blinded cross-sectional study at two- to five-year follow-up. Int Orthop. 2010 Apr 20.
• Alentorn-Geli E, Lajara F, Samitier G, Cugat R. The transtibial versus the anteromedial portal technique in the arthroscopic bone-patellar tendon-bone anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2009 Nov 10.
• Alentorn-Geli E, Myer GD, Silvers HJ, Samitier G, Romero D, Lázaro-Haro C, Cugat R. Prevention of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer players. Part 2: a review of prevention programs aimed to modify risk factors and to reduce injury rates. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2009 Aug;17(8):859-79.
• Alentorn-Geli E, Myer GD, Silvers HJ, Samitier G, Romero D, Lázaro-Haro C, Cugat R. Prevention of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injuries in soccer players. Part 1: Mechanisms of injury and underlying risk factors. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2009 Jul;17(7):705-29.
• Cugat R, Samitier G, Álvarez P, Steinbacher G. Failure of anterior cruciate ligament surgery. Trauma Fund Mapfre 2008 Vol 19 Supl 1:55-75.
• Cugat R, Ares O, Cuscó X, Garcia M, Samitier G, Seijas R; Posterior tibial nerve lesions in ankle arthroscopy. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2008 May;128(5):485-7
• Cugat R, Cuscó X, García M, Samitier G, Seijas R.; Posterosuperior osteochondritis of the calcaneus. Arthroscopy. 2007 Sep;23(9):1025.

Frequently asked questions

External profiles

Quirónsalud profile · LinkedIn · ISAKOS

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