UAMS hosted otology fellows and faculty from all over the world April 26-28 as part of the fourth annual International Otology Fellows Congress and Advanced Course in Ear and Skull Base Surgery.
Twenty-four fellows from 11 countries and 10 faculty participated in the event, which was held in the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute and its Yasargil Surgical Skills Laboratory and Education Center. Through lectures and extensive laboratory sessions, they learned the latest in advanced surgical techniques for the inner ear.
“This was a unique opportunity for fellows to focus on surgical techniques that are well beyond the scope of a typical temporal bone course, while networking alongside other otology/neurotology fellows from around the world,” said John Dornhoffer, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and director of its Division of Otology and Neurotology, all in the UAMS College of Medicine.
Otology refers to the treatment of middle ear disease and conductive hearing loss, whereas neurotology refers to treatment of the inner ear or its connection to the brain.
Dornhoffer served as program chair, along with former UAMS faculty member Michael Gluth, M.D., now of the University of Chicago Medicine Pritzker School of Medicine. Eight additional guest faculty from the United States and China provided lectures, laboratory instruction, and roundtable discussions.
In addition to the otology/neurotology fellows, UAMS otolaryngology residents attended the lecture sessions.