SICOT e-Newsletter
 Issue No. 31 - April 2011
Editorial by Tomáš TrÄ, Congress President, & VojtÄch Havlas, Local Scientific Programme Chair
Dear SICOT member,
Dear reader, ladies and gentlemen,
During the late summer, between 6 and 9 September 2011, we have been honoured to organise the next SICOT Triennial World Congress in Prague.
You may have already had a chance to discover some of the highlights of Prague â the capital of the Czech Republic, the heart of Europe, and the historical and cultural centre of Middle Europe. Today we would like to acquaint you with the scientific programme of the upcoming event.
The programme has been finalised from the numerous abstracts submitted to SICOT based on the designated topics for the Congress. It was a great pleasure for us to see the high number of submissions for the Prague Congress. We have received 2,342 abstracts, nearly twice as many as for the meetings in Hong Kong or Gothenburg. All abstracts have been carefully reviewed by the Programme Committee and more than 600 have been selected for oral presentation. Over 700 abstracts have been accepted for an e-poster section, meaning that approximately half of all submitted abstracts have been considered acceptable for presentation which is greatly appreciated.
Based on the spectrum of abstracts received we believe that the scientific programme will be most interesting. Over and above the 62 free paper sessions in 12 auditoria, we have 18 special symposia â specialist sessions, organised and presented by famous lecturers â in the main programme. Amongst these we can look forward to attending special lectures on fractures around the knee, high tibial osteotomy, paediatric trauma, natural disasters, limb lengthening, cartilage repair, hip arthroscopy, ultrasound diagnostics, tuberculous infection of the spine, modular stem hip prostheses, and others.
The presence of plenary speakers, who are top specialists in their field, is always a great addition to the scientific level of a Congress. The Prague Congress organisers have invited famous surgeons to hold special highlight lectures at the Congress. We are very pleased to have the chance of welcoming Prof Cody Bünger from Denmark, Prof James Wright from Canada, Prof Christian Gerber from Switzerland, Prof Pierre Hoffmeyer from Switzerland, and Dr Frédéric Picard from the United Kingdom. We believe the topics of their lectures will be of great interest to all participants.
Apart from the scientific programme, we must not forget to mention additional educational activities during the Prague congress. In addition to the SICOT Diploma Examination for which we have noticed a record number of candidates, we have also organised a "SICOT Educational Day" â a complex block of lectures, this time focusing on hip problems.
As a continuation of educational activities, we have prepared 18 Instructional Courses dealing with different topics. Chairmen of the Instructional Courses are experienced surgeons in their field with a rich scientific background, including Prof Gershon Volpin from Israel managing a course on âDamage Control Traumaâ, Prof Christian Gerber from Switzerland who is responsible for the course on âReverse Shoulder Arthroplastyâ, Dr Urs Munzinger from Switzerland chairing a course on âTKR Revision Surgeryâ, Prof Jaroslaw Czubak from Poland leading a course on the âRole of Pelvic Osteotomy in treatment of OAâ, Dr Frédéric Picard from the United Kingdom is covering âGuided TKA: Is it worth it?â, and Dr Pietro Randelli from Italy will introduce a course on âRotator Cuff Repairâ. We have not overlooked a specialty with a close relation to orthopaedics â rheumatology. Prof Karel Pavelka from the Czech Republic will chair a course on the âBasics of Modern Rheumatologyâ. The modern and interesting topic of osteoporosis will be addressed by Dr Vaclav VyskoÄil from the Czech Republic.
We have also prepared an additional format where SICOT hosts different specialty groups within the field of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. The programme of the "Specialty Sessions" looks very promising. Amongst many others, we would like to mention the open meeting of the International Hip Society (IHS) presenting a complex series of lectures on hip problems, the symposium of the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA) introducing lectures on âHip Arthroscopyâ and âAthlete's ankleâ, the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) who have reserved a whole day for a special scientific programme within the specialty.
Thanks to the medical industry we expect a large technical exhibition with special courses presented by exhibitors in the format of Lunch Workshops.
As you can see the scientific programme is very comprehensive and provides the participant with a great chance to choose a piece of science depending on his or her taste and to spend a scientifically fruitful week in Prague.
As we realise that science and learning is not the only reason to visit an international congress, but communication, meetings and friendships between orthopaedic and trauma surgeons from all over the world are equally important, we have prepared an attractive and interesting social programme for each day of the Congress. We plan to give detailed information about the social part of the programme in the next SICOT Newsletter.
We are very much looking forward to hosting you in Prague, and hope that you will experience a sense of personal fulfilment and enjoy a great adventure while visiting the Czech Republic.
Yours sincerely,
Tomáš TrÄ, Congress President
VotÄch Havlas, Local Scientific Programme Chair
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