Jan 7 — The 53rd annual conference of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India concluded at the PGI, here today.During the past four days experts dwelled on topics like rhinoplastic surgery of nose, facial paralysis caused by infections and trauma and various types of facial pains with causes, pathology and treatment.
Panel discussions were held on discharging ears, prevention of deafness, endoscopic surgery of nose for sinusitis and tumours and preservation of voice in cancer of the voice box.
Prof W. Draf and Prof W. Pirsing from Germany, Dr Andre Sultan from France, Dr Bernard Ars from Belgium, Prof William House from the USA, Dr Dinesh Mehta, Dr Nikhil Bhatt and Dr V. Anand gave guest lectures on topics like endoscopic sinus surgery, cochlear implants, skull base surgery and surgery of discharging ears.
The experts stressed on avoidance of smoking and pan masala which were the primary causes of cancer of mouth, throat, voice box, food pipe and lungs.
Dr V. Anand’s presentation of a paper on ‘‘Endoscopic sinus surgery —20 years of experience’’ for which he received the Dr Hiranadani Oration Award was based on recent trends.
He stressed on recent trends and technological advancements in image guided endoscopic surgery.
During surgery, a probe placed at a vital area in the human brain can be exactly identified on the screen of a video monitor showing CT and MRI scan, the area being operated upon with the help of a C-Arm. This rare stereotactic technique can be applied by ENT surgeons while operating with the rigid telescope inside the nose, called endoscopic sinus surgery.
Dr Rajamma Rajan, during Dr G.S. Grewal memorial plenary lecture, highlighted that even a small swelling around the eye could be a warning signal for a total loss of vision, if not taken care of in time. She said majority of patients kept getting treatment from ophthalmologists.
However, an ideal approach in such cases was a team effort by ophthalmologists and ENT surgeons so this complications could be avoided.
Prof S.B.S. Mann, Director Principal, GMCH, who was also the organising secretary of the AOICON, conducted the various scientific as well as the free paper sessions over the four days.
He deliberated over the prevalance of deafness in the country. According to him, 10 per cent of the Indian population were on the varying stages of deafness.
He said the condition could be avoided by avoiding inter-family marriages, especially first and second degree marriages.
Besides avoiding harmful drugs or radiations and taking care of infections during pregnancy, good antenatal care and delivery by registered obstetricians could also reduce risks. He also spoke on the occupational hazards of noise exposure which could cause deafness in the long term.
Dr Sandra Desa Souza from Mumbai took over as the president of the association. Dr Desa Souza is the pioneer of cochlear implant surgery in India and is first woman surgeon in the world to have implanted this gadget into the human ear to treat complete deafness.
Dr Ashok Gupta, Associate Professor, ENT Department, received the E Merck award for experimental study on the management of dizziness, a common yet poorly understood phenomenon.
According to Dr Naresh Panda, Associate Professor and joint organising secretary, AOICON, 1500 delegates from India and abroad attended this conference. For the first time, the thyroplasty surgery conducted by the PGI team was recorded and shown live on a giant screen.
During the seminar, another interesting topic included deliberations by Prof Anoop Rai from the Maulana Azad Medical College on chronic tonsillitis and adenoid hypertrophy.
He said these problems led to recurrent attacks of sore throat, fever, vomiting, snoring and open mouth breathing.
Three interesting but rare medical cases at the PGI by Dr Shakuntala Ghosh, Dr Rijuneeta and Dr Vineet Pandi were commended with prizes during-poster session on scientific exhibits.
Vertin quiz, a national medical quiz based on the current ENT topics, was won by a team from AIIMS. Maulana Azad Medical College and GMCH, Sector 32, won the second and third prizes, respectively.
