In the World Hearing Center, on February 20^th – 22^nd,  took place the 5^th International Course in the Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, the only one in Poland and one of the few in Europe courses in this field combined with the hands-on training on the fresh-frozen head specimens.

Fifth edition of the course, organized since 2008, brought to Kajetany about 80 participants from the whole world. The lecturers of the course were the acknowledged rhinology and rhinosurgery experts. The course in Kajetany has established a good reputation in the world and can engage some of the best and most popular lecturers and instructors assuring the highest level of training. This year our instructors were:

• Prof. Hans Rudolf Briner, M.D., KD Dr. – ORL Center, Hirslanden Klinik, Zurich, Switzerland
• Prof. Piero Nicolai, M.D. – Otorhinolaryngology Clinic, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy, Secretary General of the European Academy of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery
• Prof. Sergey Pukhlik, M.D., Ph.D. – Otorhinolaryngology Faculty, Odessa State Medical University, Odessa, Ukraine, international expert in rhinosurgery
• Prof. dr hab. n. med. Paweł Stręk – Faculty and Clinic of Otolaryngology, Jagiellonian University Collegium Medicum, Cracow, Poland, Poland’s representative in the European Rhinologic Society
• Prof. Timoleon Terzis, M.D., Ph.D. – Athens Rhinology Team, Athens, Greece, international expert in rhinology and rhinosurgery,
• Prof. Elżbieta A. Trafny, Ph.D. – Department of Microbiology, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw, Poland, one of the Polish leading experts in microbiology
• Prof. Hubert Wanyura, M.D., Ph.D. – Faculty of the Cranio-Maxillo-Facial and Dental Surgery and Implantology of the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, National Consultant for maxillofacial surgery

Three-day course comprised the theoretical and laboratory training. Theoretical course was planned for two days and included lectures on the anatomy and pathology of sinuses, medical and surgical treatment and perioperative management. In total the theoretical course included 35 lectures, to the large degree basing on the analyses of the real-life difficult cases and so particularly advantageous for the participants.

The third day of the course was dedicated to the practical training. Participants, after watching the demonstrations of the particular endoscopic techniques and listening to instructors’ explanations, performed presented procedures under the guidance of the instructors. Each participant of the practical part could individually perform all presented procedures, thanks to the good provision of the course with the equipment, including surgical navigation, and specimens. Practical course took place in the Head and Neck Clinical Anatomy Laboratory which is fitted out with the modern surgical equipment for training on anatomical specimens and simulators. The laboratory has 10 stations for rhinosurgery training and 20 for the temporal bone training. It can accommodate 20 participants for the endoscopic sinus surgery working simultaneously. It is one of most high-tech and best equipped anatomy laboratories with such profile in the world.

This year’s edition of the Course attracted many participants, therefore the organizers prepared as many as 9 working stations, each for two participants. Limiting the number of participants to two per one specimen guarantees the high level of training. Such number places the Endoscopic Sinus Surgery course in Kajetany in the global lead. This kind of the training is a particularly valuable experience for each young surgeon giving him an opportunity to enrich a theoretical knowledge with a practical experience, and the opportunity of training of specimens which are not synthetic is priceless.

More information at http://rynochirurgia.ifps.org.pl/