Report by: Dr Swathi Vadlamani, Post-Doctoral Fellow in Otology, Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta road, Bengaluru, India.
The 6th Annual Conference of Indian Academy of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (IAOHNS) and 11th South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) ENT Conference, attracted around 600 delegates and 150 international and national speakers from across multiple disciplines including all major subspecialties of ENT. Delegates from Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Afghanistan and other SAARC countries attended the conference. The programme kicked off with a pre-conference workshop by various eminent teaching faculties on basic otology, vertigo, head and neck cancer, voice, sleep and facial plastics. On 16 August, lighting of the lamp marked the inaugural ceremony which was presided over by the organising chairman Dr KK Handa and the Chief Guest of the programme Padma Bhushan Dr Naresh Trehan. The inaugural function was followed by a gala dinner.
The first day of the event witnessed seminars on voice, sleep and facial plastics followed by a symposium on otosclerosis along with multiple invited talks in the specialties of otology, head and neck surgery and skull base. The second day started with a symposium on airway followed by invited talks in laryngology, rhinology and facial plastics. The scientific programme on day three included instructional courses in the areas of maxillofacial facial surgery, frontal sinus surgery, carcinoma larynx, vertigo and others by various eminent subject matter experts in their respective fields.
Professor Gavilan from Virgen de la Paloma Hospital, Madrid, renowned for his rich experience in cochlear implants and skull base surgery spoke on deciding between cochlear implant and ABI in NF2 and Vestibular Schwannoma, hypoglossal facial anastomosis and complete cochlear coverage and hearing preservation.
One of the highlights of the conference was a talk by Dr Denizoglu, an eminent laryngologist from the Voice Clinic Medical Park, Izmir, Turkey, who gave an exemplary explanation on the Lax voice therapy, a simple tool to immediately correct and facilitate the function of vocal mechanism in a short time. His lecture on singing voice therapy for Bollywood artists enthralled and amused the audience! Professor Dinesh Chhetri from the University of California shared his experiences in office-based laryngology procedures, spasmodic dysphonia and particularly transnasal oesophagoscopy. Professor Maie St John from UCLA, well known for identifying novel diagnostic and treatment strategies in head and neck cancers also shared her experiences and views.
IAOHNS 2019 also consisted of talks related to the challenges faced by young and aspiring otolaryngologists and available career paths and opportunities for them after post-graduation in India. True to its heritage, the conference has been a wonderful platform for young otolaryngologists to meet experts in the field and build a perspective to expand their current networks.
The 7th Annual Conference of the IAOHNS will take place from 27 – 29 November 2020, in Guwahati, Assam, India.
