This Fellowship took place in Italy, in 3 leading areas of orthopaedic surgery: Bologna, Turin & Milan. Mr Syed S Ahmed of Tunbridge Wells Hospital, UK & Dr Nicholas Beckmann of Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany, present their report…
We are delighted and grateful to have been awarded the prestigious EHS Travelling Fellowship and it was extremely exciting to finally travel to Bologna, Turin and Milan, after a long delay caused by the pandemic.
Bologna
The fellowship commenced in Bologna – a town with a fascinating history and home to the oldest university in the world. Professor Binazzi (EHS EduCom) met us at the Villa Erbosa Hospital and we spent the day watching some complex primary hip replacements with a novel lateral approach in supine position. We then discussed several complex cases including management of the dysplastic hip. It was really useful to see the complications the unit had dealt with recently and learn from them. Prof Binazzi then took us for an authentic Italian dinner in the centre of town which was amazing!
The next day Prof Binazzi accompanied us to visit the Rizzoli Institute – founded in the XIXth century by the famous Bolognese surgeon, Francesco Rizzoli, who bought the convent and the hill of San Michele in Bosco. He left it in his will to the Province of Bologna to be used as an orthopaedic hospital. The library has 1,095 journals currently on its shelves, most beginning at their first issue. It was captivating to read a JBJS from 1903! The library also has one of the only remaining Schultess devices to measure scoliosis and the first arthroscopy set used in knee arthroscopy. In the special collection of the ‘Putti Donation’ are 2,457 ancient books of medicine, including hundreds of 16th century books. During the rest of our stay in Bologna we visited the Sala Rusconi – the oldest university in the world and the 2nd oldest anatomic operating theatre.
Turin
We then travelled to the city of Turin. The university hospital is a major trauma centre and Prof Massè’s team was ever welcoming. We very soon felt part of the orthopaedic team there. Our surgical experience included dealing with hip dislocation following a posterior wall fracture and a revision hip replacement for instability. Prof Massè then discussed management of some complex cases with his team and us. It was exciting to share ideas and learn how they managed dysplasia, adults with lifelong Perthes and discuss complex hip reconstructions. We then visited the city of Turin and had a lovely dinner with Prof Massè and his team.
Milan
Upon arriving at the charming city of Milan, it was immediately evident how cosmopolitan and diverse it is! We spent our time in Milan at IRCCS Galeazzi Institute with Prof Zagra (EHS SciCom Chairman & Past President) and Humanitas University Hospital with Prof Grappiolo (EHS Member).
Prof Zagra took us through some of the complex cases he had recently seen in clinic and we spent the day performing a few challenging hip arthroplasties. In the evening we attended a SICOT webinar hosted by Prof Zagra himself on ‘My worst complication after a THA’ attended by expert hip surgeons from across the world.
Prof Grappiolo and his team performed 15 cases in three theatres during our day at Humanitas. It was inspirational to watch how efficiently they managed to run flip lists and perform complex cases in multiple theatres.
During our time in Milan we visited the Duomo Cathedral and enjoyed learning of its fascinating history and architecture. We also visited the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II designed in 1861. It houses shops and cafés with some of the best coffee we have ever had! Prof Zagra also had us over for a very lovely dinner which was extremely kind and hospitable of him.
Our time in Italy was absolutely brilliant. We enjoyed Italian food, drinks and lots of Gelato!
We would like to thank the teams of each of our hosts who made our travel easy and were very helpful during our stay specifically:
Prof Masse’s team – Drs Andrea D’Amelio (EHS Member), Matteo Giachino and Michele Nardi to name a few – all of whom we hope to see at the next EHS Congress in Bern on October 2023!
Prof Zagra and Prof Grappiolo’s teams which included Dr Rocco D’Apolito and Assoc Prof Mattia Loppini (EHS EduCom).
Prof Binazzi for looking after and checking in on us right through our fellowship.
And thank you to the EHS secretary Samantha Stokes – your encouragement, support and amazing organisational skills made the entire fellowship possible!
