Providing instruction to the recent EWAS Wrist Arthroscopy Society in France

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I was honoured to be asked to act as an instructor at the recent EWAS wrist arthroscopy course in Strasbourg, France. EWAS is the European Wrist Arthroscopy Society, founded by Christophe Mathoulin, a visionary hand surgeon in Paris. It remains the only society in the world whose stated focus is wrist arthroscopy.

The course was conducted at Strasbourg University in the IRCAD facility, the largest surgical skills centre in the world. It is a truly impressive place.

And what a wonderful experience it was. The faculty and delegates were largely European, though with a definite international flavour. We spent two days immersed in the intricacies of the wrist, with lectures by international experts and practical sessions where the delegates could fine tune their wrist arthroscopy skills with supervision by the instructors. It was one of the most worthwhile teaching experiences I have been involved with. The delegates, who are surgeons already, made huge progress in a very short time.

There was much discussion, in the lecture theatre, in the cadaver lab and informally over meals. It was pretty clear that everyone there learnt a lot from each other.

I was asked to present on arthroscopic management of scaphoid injuries, fractures and non-unions, which included my development of the neutralisation screw for fixation in conjunction with arthroscopic bone grafting.

After four days in France, it was back on the plane and back to work in Sydney.