EWAS Wrist Arthroscopy Tour 2014.

Abstract

The European Wrist Arthroscopy Society (EWAS) organizes a Wrist Arthroscopy Tour (WAT) twice a year in order that participants can attend numerous wrist arthroscopies directly in the operating theater in a “compagnonnage” way. The WAT was held in France, and it included three cities and eight surgeons in five hospitals during five days. This March we visited experts and pioneers of wrist arthroscopy dealing with a variety of clinical problems (see Table 1). They often demonstrated techniques they had published, and they discussed as-yet-unpublished observations and innovations. Communication between the organizing surgeons ensured that a wide range of procedures was demonstrated. When the same operation was performed by a different surgeon, there were often subtle differences in technique that were useful to see and discuss. Different centers displayed variety in theater layout, setup, preoperative imaging, postoperative immobilization, and the preference for wet or dry scopes. Since the tour is not industry sponsored, different wrist towers, finger traps, cameras, arthroscopy stacks, shavers, and instruments were all demonstrated. Table 1 Wrist arthroscopy tour 2014 Our hosts were all happy to answer questions and share pearls of wisdom on a variety of subjects. They were unified in their enthusiasm for arthroscopy and willingness to teach. We all benefited from the opportunity to discuss techniques, difficult cases, and technical tips both with the experts and one another. We enjoyed truly international fellowship, often over delicious meals in very pleasant surroundings; Lyon, Reims, and Paris are beautiful in spring, and the TGV rail service made traveling simple. The week was both enjoyable and inspirational. We would like to sincerely thank all our hosts and their staff and everyone who welcomed us into their hospitals. We would strongly encourage anyone with an interest in developing their arthroscopic skills to apply for future tours.