Dr Agata Bizos, Division of Otolaryngology, University of Cape Town, South Africa
The African Head and Neck Society (AfHNS) held a one-day Symposium at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, followed by a Head and Neck Ultrasound course and a Head and Neck Cadaver Dissection course. The Symposium and Head and Neck Dissection Course were supported by the International Federation of Otorhinolaryngological Societies (IFOS).
Faculty and delegates
Organised by the University of Cape Town, this complimentary four-day event attracted approximately 50 delegates from various regions, including Africa, Europe, Australia and North and Central America. A live virtual broadcast was conducted of the symposium to accommodate an additional 40 delegates who were unable to attend in person.
The symposium featured guest lectures from distinguished leaders in head and neck surgery, including Professors Johan Fagan (University of Cape Town), Matthew White (University of Cape Town), Melesse Gebeyehu (Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia and president of the AfHNS), Wayne Koch (Johns Hopkins University, USA), Nicolas Fakhry (Marseille, France), Sebastien Vergez (University of Toulouse, France), Merry Sebelik and Max Kligerman (both from Emory University, USA). Discussions focussed on challenges around establishing African Head and Neck Fellowship programmes, addressing resource challenges in cancer care within middle and low-income settings, data from Africa from an IFOS worldwide cancer survey, and critical considerations in situations of surgical limitations, specifically ‘when to say no’ to offering surgical care.
The second day featured a Point-of-Care Head and Neck Ultrasound Course (above), led by Professors Merry Sebelik and Maxwell Kligerman. This course proved to be immensely beneficial for many delegates from Africa, who often face significant resource limitations that restrict access to radiological investigations crucial for the management of head and neck patients. Attendees had the opportunity to first scan normal neck anatomy on each other, then the invaluable experience of scanning patients with neck pathology, who had generously donated their time. The course included learning and practicing ultrasound-guided needle placement on phantoms, in preparation for interventions such as biopsy, alcohol ablation, medication injection and thermal ablation.
The remaining two days were dedicated to a Head and Neck Dissection Course supported by IFOS. It comprised lectures, surgical demonstrations and supervised dissections on fresh, frozen cadavers at the Surgical Skills Training Centre at Red Cross Children’s Hospital. A total of 30 delegates received instruction on several common head and neck procedures, including submandibular gland excision, sublingual gland excision, parotidectomy, parapharyngeal space surgery, thyroidectomy, partial laryngectomy, total laryngectomy and thyroplasty. Support from IFOS made it possible for eight African residents to attend the course for free.
The AfHNS is grateful for the support of IFOS and its international faculty for making the four-day event such a success, and for contributing to education and training in Africa.
