October 2020

Dear EHS Members & Friends, 

Let’s have a dream… It’s October 1st in another life, I mean without Covid…, and our 14th European Hip Society Congress begins today in Lille!

It is like during each of our major meetings of our Scientific Society, a wonderful opportunity for each participant for the exchange of our surgical knowledge… and I am about to deliver my welcome address for this EHS Congress in Lille, scheduled for October 1st and 2nd of this year.

I begin my speech by confirming that it is a fantastic assignment to be your 14th President… One can only be very proud and very happy to be the president of such a dynamic organization, for which scientific excellence goes hand in hand with remarkable friendliness…

Naturally, I will then thank each of the several thousand participants for doing us the honor of participating in our congress, to benefit from an update of our knowledge in hip surgery, with the conclusions of the symposia, the debates between experts, oral communications and posters, but also the so precious informal discussions between colleagues… not to mention the wonderful atmosphere of meeting up with friends and colleagues within our International Orthopedic Community… Special thanks for our invaluable partner this year in Lille, i.e. the “Hip Toulouse” Congress, and warm welcome to Canada as our Guest Nation!…

I will not forget to salute on behalf of the EHS Bureau the enormous work carried out by the two EHS Committees throughout these two years, whether it is the Scientific Committee with in particular the implementation of a formidable agenda for this Lille 2020 congress, or for the Education Committee, including all these fellowships which are a source of pride in our scientific influence… “Go teach all nations!…”.

Throughout the year, our Secretariat General is at work to ensure the best life of our society and its privileged place as a key figure of the surgical hip within all the other National or International Societies, and in particular EFORT… Last but not least, I will say a last word to thank our National Representatives and our Ambassadors, who continuously bring our scientific presence here and there and in all circumstances to life.

This dream is shattered today on the sad reality of a mad virus… Hence through its fault, this 2020 congress will therefore now be the Lille 2021 Congress next Fall… But the real reality is relentless and does not only concern a postponement of date: in truth, over all these years, the place of our European Hip Society within this orthopedic community is now preponderant, and we have become, thanks to the actions of each of you, an international reference in hip surgery. Our 14th EHS 2021 congress will be even more than today a great meeting…

All this, I will therefore get the opportunity to say it live next year on September 9 and 10 in Lille…, and to express again all the joy and pride of being your President.

In the meantime, take care of yourself, your loved ones and your patients!

On behalf of the entire EHS Board, our warmest regards,

Jean-Alain Epinette, MD

EHS President

EHS Ambassador of the Month, Boris Šteňo

Dear Colleagues,

Since 1993 I work as an orthopaedic surgeon in Bratislava, the capital of Slovak Republic. For the first two years of my professional career I started my work at the Department of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery in Bratislava. Since 1995 I worked at the II University Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in Bratislava. This was one of the few orthopaedic departments in Slovakia that was dealing with acute muscoloskeletal trauma in early 90s. Decision making in trauma care is still an integral part of my daily medical practice. After completing my orthopaedic education combined with travelling fellowships in Czech Republic, Austria, Germany and Hungary I focused in hip surgery. Since 2017 I am the head of II University Department of Orthopeadic and Trauma Surgery at the Comenius University Medical Faculty.

As a second generation orthopaedic surgeon I had the opportunity to take care of patients operated formerly by my father. Hip revision surgery and complex primary cases become a major part of my surgical practice since early years of my practice.

Hip and revision arthroplasty surgery in Slovakia has made big progress in last 3 decades. The numbers of arthroplasties rose to comparable numbers with most developed European countries. The implants used in Slovakia are still of high quality materials and designs, with reasonable financial reimbursement. The availability of orthopaedic care is still at a high level. We can match our data with other countries using the results from Slovak Arthroplasty Registry (SAR). The registry is for orthopaedic surgeons a powerful tool to control the results of arthroplasties since a decade and half. The registry uses data completed over 95% with the coverage of all procedures over 92%. Dr Libor Necas, the founder and head of the SAR and former EHS National Representative for Slovakia, is still taking care to hold the Slovak Arthroplasty Registry among the most valuated registries worldwide. The cumulative revision rate for THA is below 8.5%.

Revision hip arthroplasty surgery in Slovakia uses for nearly two decades modern implants, with very good reimbursement from the health insurance companies. This is the reason for using modern trabecular metal modular implants in arthroplasty centers for both revisions and complex primary arthroplasties. In this field we can share on a regular basis our knowledge and results in Master revision courses with colleagues from other countries across the whole of Europe, Middle East and Northern Africa and Asia for nearly a decade.

Close cooperation with EFORT brought EFORT Fora to Slovakia in October 2019. Together with Prof George Macheras (EHS Past President and current Nat Rep for Greece) and Prof Roberto Binazzi (EHS EduCom member), I organised the EFORT Fora concerning postdysplastic osteoarthritis. Unfortunately the AO Recon basic course we were organising for November 2020 in Bratislava together with Prof Macheras has to be postponed to Spring 2021. Cooperation between members of EHS, and former Ambassadors Prof Macheras, Prof Binazzi, my friends, members of EFORT Board and from International Hip Society Prof Luigi Zagra and Prof Alessandro Masse helps us to organize meetings, create workshops and share knowledge in the evolving field of hip surgery.

European Hip Society is an organization of international significance. For smaller countries like Slovakia, EHS is in my eyes a society with even bigger importance. It covers the field of hip surgery from basic science to long term clinical results in conservative and arthroplasty techniques. The broad spectrum of hip surgery is discussed in EHS meetings and published in the society´s journal Hip International. Information and knowledge from the field of hip surgery help to improve the quality of life of the patients we treat.

It is a great privilege and honour for me to be a National Representative of Slovakia and an Ambassador for the European Hip Society. I am looking forward to participate in organizing meetings, sharing expertise, together with EHS members and to increase the collaboration with Slovak Orthopaedic and Trauma Society.

Associate Professor Boris Steno, MD, PhD
EHS Nat Rep for Slovakia