The 12th EFORT Congress

According to EFORT’s Past President, specialist orthopaedic surgeon Professor Wolfhart Puhl burning issues will include rapid rehabilitation and quality control in joint replacements, as well as initial steps towards an even broader, inter-professional approach to working with patients. Also, presentations will range from new advances in endoprosthetics to innovations in cyphoplasty and the management of fractures in the elderly. Three highly topical issues in the plenary sessions will be cell therapy, particularly PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) therapy in bone healing; the sensible application of registers (logs) to improve therapy in clinical practice, and fast-track treatment and rehabilitation in orthopaedic surgery.

‘The enormous advances in imaging will certainly provide exciting subject areas,’ said Professor Pierre Hoffmeyer, Vice President of the EFORT Foundation, Chairman of the Scientific Committee and President of the Swiss Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (SSOT). ‘This field, in turn, drives development in micro-invasive surgery techniques. The congress will also cover new technology for surgical therapy of the spinal column and, not least, the big problems facing an aging and increasingly osteoporotic society, where orthopaedist and traumatologists are called upon to engage not only in therapy but also in prevention.’

EFORT acts as an advisor to European and national institutions in central future issues inter alia with the policy symposium on muscular skeletal diseases and active aging in the EU. Professor Puhl: ‘David Marsh, from University College London, will present evidence that if intensive rehabilitation management following osteoporotic fractures is begun immediately after a fracture, it reduces expenses, despite its costliness. The multi-morbid patients involved need a fast and appropriate operation, immediate physiotherapeutic activation and suitable pharmacotherapies, or will otherwise quickly become cases for costly nursing care. That can be prevented if care-givers mobilise them the day after the intervention, talk to them and motivate them to engage in mental activities.’

A special highlight, the Speciality Session on water sport injuries and shoulder problems, will present cutting edge methods that might soon become standard in general traumatology. ‘We will demonstrate some of the exciting surgery performed by European orthopaedic sports traumatologists, perfected to meet the needs of professional athletes to return to training and competition as soon as possible.’ explained Dr Mike Carmont, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon from Preston, UK. ‘We’ll present recent achievements in minimally invasive surgery and arthroscopy as well as the most effective methods of rehabilitation and new approaches, like platelet rich plasma therapy (PRP), which may improve healing and shorten rehabilitation time.’

Education – CRC, ICs and ExMExs

‘CRC stands for Comprehensive Review Course and is being provided for the third time,’ explained Prof. Hoffmeyer. The one-day CRC covers the entire material in European and national examinations for medical specialists. The ICs (Instructional Courses) are numerous and give generalists a chance to learn from experts. Finally, ExMEx (Experts-Meet-Experts) sessions involve top experts briefing specialists on new advances. Then there are the ‘Difficult and Complex Cases’ discussions. They are interactive and therefore quite lively. They give participants a chance to present their own cases.’

An entirely new feature is the Poster Cinema where participants can sit and relax to watch the accepted posters on the screen. As EFORT co-founder Professor Puhl said, this is ‘a precious platform that showcases the entire diversity of opinions throughout Europe and helps bring them into balance to improve quality’.

Details: www.efort.org
 

26.04.2011

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