8TH EFORT CONGRESS

From shoulder arthroscopy to mini-invasive TKR
A MAXI EFORT involvement in MINI-INVASIVE PROCEDURES

Mini-invasive procedures concern at present not only well established techniques such as arthroscopic knee and shoulder soft tissue treatments, but also major procedures such as prostheses, implantations and trauma surgery.

Thus, the EFORT Scientific Committee decided to dedicate a large part of the Florence Scientific Programme to these procedures. Within a global number of 100 Symposia, Cross-Fires and Instructional Course Lectures, which represent the hard scientific core of the congress, 25 Symposia are related to mini-invasive procedures including arthroscopy. Moreover, among the 900 free papers to be presented in Florence, 250 free papers are focussed on these topics. Symposia usually include 4 to 6 speakers, presenting over 60 minutes (+30 minutes discussion) the different indications and techniques for a given topic. In Cross-Fires, clinical cases are presented by 4 to 5 surgeons who explain their conflicting opinions. The audience will participate in high quality discussions. Instructional Course Lectures will be presented over 40 minutes by an outstanding expert and will be published in the Instructional Courses Book given to each congress participant. In each free paper session, 6-10 presentations will be presented from the podium and discussed.

ARTHROSCOPY AND ARTHROSCOPIC SURGERY will be the topics for 8 Symposia and 100 free papers:

Knee arthroscopic techniques will be presented for:

- ACL and PCL reconstruction: (Saturday May 12, room 12; Tuesday May 15, room 3)
- Meniscal repair: (Monday May 14, room 3) and cartilage transplantation (Saturday May 12, room 3).
Related free paper sessions will be in room 8 (2 on Saturday May 12, 3 on Sunday May 13, 2 on Monday May 14) and in room 3 (Thursday May 15).

Shoulder arthroscopy will be debated in 3 main presentations on:

- Instability of the shoulder (Saturday May 12, room 6);
- Recurrent dislocation (Sunday May 13, room 12);
- Calcifications (Tuesday May 15, room 6).

Related free paper sessions will be presented in room 6 (on Saturday May 12, Monday May 14 and Tuesday May 15).

Hip impingement will be treated on Saturday May 12, room 1.

MINI-INVASIVE SURGERY covers 14 Symposia, and about 150 free papers, as its feasibility is now better understood and the main questions relates to indications compared with classical surgery, especially in hip and knee arthroplasties, trauma surgery, spine and fore-foot operations, and sports surgery.

Knee arthroplasty

Amongst the 7 Symposia, Cross-Fires and Courses related to knee arthroplasty during the EFORT congress, 3 will be specifically dedicated to mini-invasive procedures.

- Unicompartmental knee replacement (Saturday May 12, room 8);
- Mini-invasive TKR (Monday May 14, room 3);
- Navigation (Monday May 14, room 8).

80 free papers covering these topics will be presented (Friday May 11 room 3, Saturday May 12 room 2 - 3 sessions; Saturday May 12 room 8; Sunday May 13 room 3; Monday May 14 room 8).

Mini-invasive hip arthroplasty will be presented in 3 Symposia and Cross-Fires

- MIS THR (Friday May 11, room 1);
- Short stems implants (Sunday May 13, room 1);
- Hip resurfacing (Monday May 14, room 12).

More than 45 free papers will be dedicated to these topics, and will be presented on Friday May 11, rooms 6 and 8; Saturday May 12, room 1; Sunday May 13, room 1.

Trauma is one of the fields in which the benefits of mini-invasive procedures are the most controversial. The MIS possibilities will be presented for several types of trauma:

- Acetabular fractures (Sunday May 13, room 5);
- Proximal femoral fractures (Saturday May 12, room 12);
- Distal femoral fractures (Sunday May 13, room 5);
- Tibial plateau fractures (Saturday May 12, room 12).

Elective surgery can also benefit of MIS, for example:

- Lumbar disc herniation (Friday May 11, room 2);
- Fore foot surgery (Sunday May 13 room 13 and on Tuesday May 14 room 3).

In sports surgery mini-invasive procedures are of real value to facilitate early return to sport. The expectations for MIS techniques will be discussed in the 5 conferences dedicated to sport surgery:

- Ankle instability (Saturday 12, room 7 - free papers: Monday May 14 room 13);
- Muscle injuries (Friday May 11, room 7);
- Athletes’ back pain (Saturday May 12, room 7);
- Female athletes’ injuries (Saturday May 12, room 7);
- Compartmental syndromes (Monday May 14, room 13).

Therefore, in May 2007 in Florence, during the meeting of the European Orthopaedic Family, EFORT will present a survey of all aspects of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, from hand trauma to prosthetic revision surgery, from paediatrics to surgery of the elderly, in its 100 updates (20 Instructional Course Lectures, 80 Symposia and Cross-Fires) evolving more than 300 European experts.
With 25 Symposia and 250 free papers, mini-invasive procedures including arthroscopy will be a major focus of the Congress. Therefore, we look forward to your participation in this EFORT Florence Congress, the most extensive in Europe thus far, oriented to the most recent and potentially most valuable techniques.

Prof. Frantz Langlais
EFORT Vice President
Responsible for Symposia and Cross-Fires

Prof. George Bentley
Chairman, Scientific Committee