NNUH hosts international Microsurgery Conference

Consultants from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) are hosting an international conference in reconstructive microsurgery next week.

Several prestigious experts from the USA, Taiwan, India, UK and Europe will discuss current concepts, techniques and outcomes of microsurgical reconstruction used in treating patients with breast cancer, head and neck cancers, as well as hand, lower limb and transplantation surgery.

The conference ‘Advances and Controversies in Reconstructive Microsurgery’ is being held at De Vere Dunston Hall Hotel in Norwich on Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st May 2014 and is open to surgeons from across the world.

Mr Andrea Figus, Consultant Plastic Surgeon at NNUH, who has organised the event, said: “We are really excited to be hosting what looks set to be a fantastic event with world renowned international experts giving a series of talks. We will be sharing experiences of current research and technology to encourage collaboration between micro-surgeons and the event is open to microsurgical trainees too.”

The NNUH is a centre of excellence for microsurgical reconstruction and treats patients from across Norfolk and Suffolk as well as parts of Essex and Cambridgeshire. The plastic surgery department carry out around 200 microsurgery procedures every year. Operations range from four to eight hours long and include breast reconstruction for patients with cancer, head and neck cancers, skin cancer and trauma cases.

Krishna Sethia, Medical Director at NNUH said: “The plastics team here at the Norfolk and Norwich has achieved centre of excellence status, their work transforms patients’ lives on a daily basis and this will be a fascinating conference about this field.”

Amongst the 30 speakers, highlights include Robert Allen from the USA, who performed the first diep flap technique for transferring tissue from the abdomen to breast; Professor Simon Kay from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the first surgeon to perform a hand transplant in the UK; Professor Jesse Selber from the USA, specialist in robotic-assisted microsurgery; Dr Maria Siemionow from the USA, pioneer in face transplantation; and Professor Ming-Huei Cheng from Taiwan, expert in microvascular lymph node transfer.

The conference is being supported by the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons and accredited of 15 CPD points. Anyone interested can visit www.acrm-norwich2014.org for further details.

Thursday 15th of May 2014 04:00:29 PM