Course on Advanced Inner Ear Surgeries Attracts International Participation

By ChaseYavondaC

Twenty-four fellows from 14 countries and 14 faculty from four countries participated in the event, which was held in the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute and its Yasargil Surgical Skills Laboratory and Education Center. Through lectures and extensive laboratory sessions, they learned the latest in advanced surgical techniques for the inner ear.

“This was a unique opportunity for fellows to focus on surgical techniques that are well beyond the scope of a typical temporal bone course, while networking alongside other otology/neurotology fellows from around the world,” said John Dornhoffer, M.D., professor and vice chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and director of its Division of Otology and Neurotology, all in the UAMS College of Medicine.

Lecturer before lab participants

John Dornhoffer, M.D., co-chairman of the event, leads participants in a lab session on advanced surgical techniques for the inner ear.

Otology refers to the treatment of middle ear disease and conductive hearing loss, whereas neurotology refers to treatment of the inner ear or its connection to the brain.

Dornhoffer served as program chair, along with former UAMS faculty member Michael Gluth, M.D., now of the University of Chicago Medicine Pritzker School of Medicine; and Brandon Isaacson, M.D., and J. Walter Kutz Jr., M.D., both of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. John D. Day, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neurosurgery in the UAMS College of Medicine, was one of the featured lecturers. Nine additional guest faculty from the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and Denmark also provided lectures, laboratory instruction, and roundtable discussions.

Fida Abdulaziz Al-Muhawas is an otology fellow at UAMS who attended the course. She said otology fellows are always looking for additional advanced courses, and what she learned at the course went beyond her expectations.

“We not only concentrated on skull base approaches but were exposed to a combination of advanced otological surgical skills – middle ear surgeries, endoscopic ear techniques, implantable hearing devices – delivered by the expert surgeons from the U.S. and overseas,” Al-Muhawas said. “In addition, meeting fellows from around the world allowed us to exchange knowledge and learn the latest updates in the field from different countries as well as creating a friendly community that shares the same path and the same goals ”

In addition to the otology/neurotology fellows, UAMS otolaryngology residents attended the lecture sessions.