Approximately 150 otolaryngologists and other healthcare providers took advantage of the opportunity to advance the care they provide their patients at the 2011 Advanced Rhinology Concepts CME event held last November. Sponsored by the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School, the biennial event focuses on the comprehensive medical and surgical management of diseases of the nose and paranasal sinuses.
Participants heard five lectures delivered by guest of honor Heinz Stammberger, MD, professor and head of the department of General Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Medical University of Graz in Graz, Austria. Considered one of the world’s leading experts on endoscopic sinus surgery and skull base surgery, Professor Stammberger pioneered the development of contemporary endoscopic sinus surgery techniques and introduced many concepts for the management of inflammatory conditions of the paranasal sinuses. In addition, he and his interdisciplinary Graz skull base team specialize in rhinoneurosurgery using endoscopic transnasal and intradural approaches for a variety of disease conditions.
Invited speakers included Winston C. Vaughan, MD, director and co-founder of the California Sinus Centers and a clinical faculty member at Stanford University Medical Center; Seth J. Isaacs, MD, who practices at the Cincinnati Sinus Institute; and David Clark, MD, of the Texas A&M Health Science Center and Scott & White Health System.
“It was a very successful CME course that drew national and international attendees,” says Martin J. Citardi, MD, FACS, professor and chair of the department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at McGovern Medical School and chief of otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. “We were fortunate to have a world-renowned guest speaker—Professor Stammberger, as our guest of honor. The lecture topics and dissection lab were highly rated in evaluations by the participants.”
Topics discussed included the diagnosis, pathophysiology and medical treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, sinonasal polyposis and allergic rhinitis. The course also included sessions on contemporary frontal sinus surgical techniques and the latest advances in treatment of fungal rhinosinusitis. Other important rhinologic issues, including postoperative care and management strategies for the general otolaryngologist were discussed, along with advanced technology that included image-guided surgery and innovative techniques in the management of sinonasal neoplasia. A hands-on laboratory session featured endoscopic surgical and video equipment, image-guidance technology, powered instrumentation and cadaveric specimens.