Many thanks to all who participated in the 2019 COA Annual Meeting and AAC Subspecialty Day in the beautiful city of Montreal. For the second year in a row, the AAC organized a full day of sport medicine talks, discussions, expert panels, tips and tricks, and even a Pecha Kucha. If you were unable to attend the event, here is a brief recap of some of the highlights…
Specialty Day started off strong with an excellent sport medicine paper session moderated by Drs. Cathy Coady and Moin Khan. Once again, the AAC recognized the best presenters with a number of Awards. Congratulations to this year’s winners:
Best Clinical Paper: Post-Operative Laxity, Functional Performance, and Quality of Life Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction – Dr. Mireille Marquis, Banff Sport Medicine
Best Randomized Controlled Trial: ACL-R With and Without LET – Assessment of Failure at 2 Years – STABILITY Study – Dr. Alan Getgood, Fowler Kennedy Centre
Best Fellows Paper: Utility of 3D Printed Models in Hip Arthroscopy – Dr. A P Tejaswi Ravipati, Dalhousie University
Best Basic Science Paper: Complete Capsular Repair Restores Native Kinematics Following Interportal and T-Capsulotomy – Dr. Ryan Degen, Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic
Best Resident Podium Presentation: Assessment of Engaging Hill-Sachs Lesions with Computed Tomography 3D Reconstruction and a Biomechanical Approach – Dr. Jimmy Tat, University of Toronto
Best Poster: Hip and Groin Injuries in Pro Basketball Players: Impact on Playing Career and QOL After Retirement – Dr. Moin Khan, McMaster University
Best Poster – Systematic Review: Meta-Analysis of Articular Damage Following ACL-R in Adolescents – Dr. Jeffrey Kay
Next up was a Pecha Kucha debate moderated by Dr. Laurie Hiemstra. Pecha… what… you ask? In Japanese, Pecha Kucha means “ChitChat,” and refers specifically to a form of presentation were individuals show 20 slides for 20 seconds each. A total of four esteemed surgeons were tasked with presenting their argument in this format. How did they do? The cheers from the audience were a clear indication of the session’s success! Hats off to Drs. David Sheps, Tracey Wentzell, Nick Mohtadi, and Femi Ayeni for their excellent presentations and commendable sportsmanship.
The popular Tips & Tricks session ensued, with Drs. Sebastian Tomescu, Ivan Wong, and Tim Dwyer presenting their techniques for tibial tubercle osteotomy, superior capsular reconstruction, and femoral condyle cartilage lesion repair, respectively.
This session also included an inaugural live surgery demonstration by Dr. Peter MacDonald of his technique for harvesting and preparing a quadriceps tendon autograft for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.
The afternoon included a symposium on Osteotomies about the Knee . Presenters Drs. Bob Litchfield, Marie Gdalevitch, Jarret Woodmass, Nathan Urquhart, and Laurie Hiemstra provided insight into preoperative planning and surgical techniques for less conventional osteotomies such as the lateral closing wedge HTO, distal femoral osteotomy, and derotation osteotomy. Thought-provoking discussions were had, and many minds were opened.
At the end of the day, the AAC combined with the CSES to host a debate on shoulder instability featuring the expertise of AAC upper extremity surgeons including Drs. Paul Martineau, Peter MacDonald, and Bob Litchfield.
The AAC also hosted a cadaver lab , providing members attending the COA with the opportunity to practice new arthroscopic techniques under the supervision of expert instructors. Many thanks to Drs. Ivan Wong and Brendan Sheehan for organizing this sold-out event.
Other notable COA highlights that were not part of Specialty Day included an ICL on Gender Diversity moderated by Dr. Laurie Hiemstra. The event featured discussions surrounding barriers and biases for women in orthopaedics, as well as strategies on how to surmount these obstacles.
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for next year’s COA in Halifax, June 3-6 (Specialty Day on June 6 th ). See you all there!