Report by: B Speaker ST7, C Fitzgerald ST7.
The 9th Annual Aongus J Curran Memorial Head & Neck Oncology Conference took place on 8 March 2019 at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. The annual multidisciplinary meeting was established by Professor Aongus Curran, Professor of Otolaryngology at University Hospital Dublin, who passed away suddenly in 2016. The meeting continues to be held in his memory, with Professor Tadhg O’Dwyer this year hosting a multidisciplinary, international faculty on the topic of ‘dilemmas in salivary gland disease’.
Professor John Yoo, Professor of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery and Chair of Department at Victoria University Hospital, Ontario, Canada, was this year’s keynote speaker, delivering the Prof Aongus Curran Memorial Lecture. Prof Yoo is an international expert on salivary gland disease and has a special interest in facial reanimation surgery. Prof Yoo guided a rapt audience through the advances seen in the management of salivary gland disease in recent years. The operative options available for facial nerve reanimation were then highlighted, demonstrating the excellent outcomes available to patients.
Other speakers included Professor Susan Kennedy, Consultant Histopathologist, who catalogued the diverse range of salivary pathologies and highlighted the role of immunohistochemistry in diagnosis. Mr Paul Lennon discussed the medico-legal challenges encountered with salivary gland disease cases, while Mr Mark Rafferty generated great interest with a lecture on the physiology and pathology of autoimmune salivary gland disease. Mr Tom Moran introduced the role of robotic surgery in head and neck surgery and shared his experiences to date with new techniques. Finally, Prof Tadhg O’Dwyer discussed the clinical dilemma presented by the drooling patient, before Mr Peter Walshe offered a fascinating review of his most challenging operative cases. The meeting continues to develop each year and is a fitting tribute to its founder.
Aongus J Curran
