IOS Report 9th & 10th October 2015
The fifty-sixth annual meeting of the IOS was held at the Trump International
Doonbeg Resort in Co. Clare on the 9th and 10th of October. Once again, this
proved to be a highlight in the ENT calendar for trainees and consultants alike.
On Thursday evening, the IOS council held their bi-annual meeting, followed by
the President’s dinner. Starting on Friday morning, trainees from all around the
country, in conjunction with some of our British colleagues, presented clinical
and lab-based research of high quality from a variety of ENT departments.
Free-paper sessions were held on Rhinology, Otology and Head and Neck.
Coffee breaks in between provided a welcome chance for the various
delegates to mix and catch up on developments in the various departments
around the country, and from further afield. There was a healthy
representation from various surgical equipment representatives, and their
stands were well appointed during the meeting. The poster adjudication was
also held in the early afternoon. A very interesting and stimulating session took
place mid-afternoon on ‘Frontiers in ORL’. This was started off by Mr Shahed
Quraishi, who spoke of his practice of minimally invasive parathyroidectomy in
Doncaster. He also, later on, shared his success story of the ENT Masterclass®
series and how it became a worldwide phenomenon thanks to his dedication
and the goodwill of other trainers in getting involved. Mr David Kennedy led us
through the evolution of image guided surgery, which encompasses such a
huge part of his practice. Endoscopic ear surgery was given an enjoyable
overview by Mr Arunachalam Iyer who is based in Glasgow. We then heard
from Prof Patrick Bradley on the important topic of minor salivary gland
neoplasms. Sinus balloon dilation technology was explained to us by Mr. Peter
Baptista of Navarra, Spain, and Mr Petr Lukes from Prague finished up the
session by exploring magnifying NBI endoscopy in laryngology. That evening a
drinks reception was held prior to this year’s Wilde discourse which was given
by Professor Robin Cotton, of Cincinnati, USA which was entitled ‘Reflections
on the Pediatric Airway, setting the standard’. This was a very reflective talk
discussing his life in surgery and his pathway through training and the personal
and professional aspects of his career along the way. It was a talk enjoyed by
medical and non-medical attendees alike. This was followed by the eversuccessful Gala Dinner, and this year was no exception.
Saturday began with an early meeting of the Irish Institute of Otolaryngology.
A free-paper session on Paediatric and General ENT followed. A highly
educational session on Paediatric ENT followed, chaired by Mr Keith Trimble
and Ms Helena Rowley. Mr Mike Rothera from Manchester spoke of the
management of the paediatric airway. Emergency paediatric ENT was then
debated by a shared panel of Mr Mike Rothera, Mr Conor Jackson and Mr
Stephen Kieran. All of these sessions led to a vigorous and stimulating
discussion. After a coffee break, ‘Albatross’ cases in Paediatric ENT were
outlined by Mr Mike Rothera, Mr John Russell, Mr Ray Clarke and Mr Tadhg
O’Dwyer. These were difficult and chronic cases that each consultant had
treated, and they struck a chord with delegates who would have had similarly
difficult cases over the years. Following this thought-provoking session, Mr
David Kennedy delivered a talk on the progress in various treatments in
rhinology to date. Closing speeches were then held, including best poster and
presentation prizes. Following this, the IOTA held a session with Mr Mike
Rothera, Ms Paula Casserley and Mr David Kennedy. They kindly shared tips
and tricks with us regarding topics and answering at the intercollegiate exam,
how to apply for training and fellowships in the US, and how to navigate the
lengthy process of applying for a fellowship in Australia. Their time and
expertise was greatly appreciated by all the trainees present. Olympus and
Medtronic also held a clinical skills workshop after this session which was very
beneficial.
All in all this year’s IOS meeting was one of the best to date. It proves that this
worthwhile event in the ENT calendar is going from strength to strength every
year.
Ms Éadaoin Ó Catháin (ENT SpR)
Michael Moran (ENT SpR)
Nash Patil (ENT Consultant)