“Thought-provoking, exciting, and an environment full of learning and networking.” These three phrases were used by Dr. Michaela Tesarova from Czech Republic, one of the many fellows, to describe the tenth Otology and Temporal Bone Surgery seminar this week. The 37 fellows from 28 countries, including Hungary, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam, were thrilled to learn more about the intricacies of otologic surgical procedures and ear conditions.
“Surgery in the temporal bone has considerable potential risk due to the local anatomy that includes the outer covering of the brain, the nerve that moves the face, the hearing and balance system, and the great vessels – the carotid artery and the jugular vein”, explains Dr. Dr. Samuel H. Selesnick. Due to the difficulty of these types of surgeries, the fellows were eager to listen to lectures on ossiculoplasty – middle ear surgery, vestibular surgery, skull base surgery, surgery of the external auditory canal, and more.
The faculty cohort mainly consisted of OMI veterans with course director Dr. Samuel H. Selesnick (Weill Cornell Medicine), co-course director Dr. Gerhard Rasp (General Hospital of Salzburg), Dr. Christoph Arnoldner (Medical University of Vienna), Dr. Nikolas H. Blevins (Stanford University School of Medicine), Dr. Cem Meco (Ankara University Medical School), and Dr. Sebastian Roesch (University Hospital Regensburg). Newcomers Dr. Myles L. Pensak (University of Cincinnati College of Medicine) and Dr. Kristen Yancey (Weill Cornell Medicine) were eager to teach alongside their colleagues.
Without a doubt, the two temporal bone wet labs were everyone’s highlight of the week. Fellows and faculty headed to the medical labs of the Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg (PMU) to practice their surgical skills on specimens. During this hands-on training, our fellows had the unique opportunity to immediately apply their newly gained knowledge under the faculty’s expert supervision in a lifelike scenario. The fellows practiced their expertise at mastoidectomy, stapedectomy, and cochlear implantation, amongst other procedures. The faculty’s experience and advice encouraged the fellows not only during these wet lab sessions but also in their future surgical procedures.
Dr. Selesnick describes the wet lab as a pivotal opportunity in the fellows’ careers. He states, “The seminar is a unique opportunity for otolaryngologists who aspire to perform safe temporal bone-ear surgery. Participants learn through acquiring knowledge in the lecture hall as presented by leaders in the field using 2D and 3D materials, along with the surgical experience gained from the temporal laboratory, where each fellow has the opportunity to perform surgery on anatomical specimens.”
Special thanks go out to MED-EL and Medtronic for their essential support during the labs!
Michaela Tesarova, MD
OMI fellow from Czech Republic
“This course was vital to the development of my skills in ear surgery. The theory from the lectures and its subsequent application in the lab were essential for my future career.”
Sani Muhammad, MD
OMI fellow from Nigeria
“Dr. Selesnick’s lecture demystified my difficulties in temporal bone embryology. This information was very valuable to me.”
Elena Tashkovska, MD
OMI fellow from North Macedonia
“Dissecting my first temporal bone was a unique experience. The lab enriched my understanding of anatomy and improved my practical skills significantly.”
Nawaf Fatani, MD
OMI fellow from Saudi Arabia
“I practiced canaloplasty, stapedectomy, ossiculoplasty, and mastoidectomy on an ear specimen in a well-equipped lab. The faculty demonstrated the dissections on a 3D screen, realistically displaying the anatomy.”
