A 3rd Interventional Pain Academy cadaveric workshop was held on 29 November on the premises of the WARSAW LAB Practical Medicine Institute, located at Prosta 2 Street 05-110, Jablonna – Warsaw, Poland.
During the course of the workshop, we were privileged to welcome 22 participants from a multitude of global locations, including Greece, England, Saudi Arabia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Egypt and China.
About
The 3rd Interventional Pain Academy cadaveric workshop was organised under the direction of its Chairman, Robert Rapcan MD, FIPP, MBA, PhD.
The workshop was also made possible thanks to the invaluable contributions of two esteemed partners: the Scottish company Alieva Biotec and the French company Lumibird – Interventional Imagining.
Hands-on training was led by a team of esteemed experts instructors from EuroPainClinics from Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Additionally, Dr. Manojit Sinha and Dr. Basil Almahdi, two leading figures in the Basivetrebral Nerve ablation procedure from the United Kingdom, contributed to the faculty.
The team of instructors was further strengthened by the inclusion of Dr. Bénédicte Bouche, a renowned French specialist in peripheral neurostimulation.
Objective
The objective of this course was to provide comprehensive and engaging information. Furthermore, the course examined the full range of options currently available for the management of patients with chronic pain. The correct diagnosis and appropriate therapeutic selection are fundamental to the success of the treatment plan.
The objective was to equip the doctors with the knowledge and skills to integrate multiple aspects of ultrasound and fluoroscopy in interventional pain management, thereby improving patient outcomes.
Programme
The programme was designed to equip participants with an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.
The one-day practical cadaver course facilitated a more comprehensive grasp of the anatomical and pathological processes associated with chronic pain, while also offering a critical examination of cutting-edge interventional techniques for the management of chronic pain.
The number of participants permitted at each cadaver station was limited to four. The course made use of C-arms, ultrasonography and state-of-the-art equipment.
Participants were divided into two groups. The first group started with a lecture and training on the European novelty – the basivetebral nerve ablation procedure. The second group of participants moved on to stations with the unique 7StarScope device. A device that combines fibre optic endoscopy with ultrasound. The second group had the opportunity to practice basic and advanced clinical procedures using the 7StarScope. With expert support from the Interventional Pain Academy instructors. In the afternoon, the groups changed stations.
First part – Basivertebral nerve ablation procedure
First part of the workshop was focused on the Transpedicular Basivertebral Nerve Ablation procedure. From diagnostic examinations (diagnostic injections for medial branch blocks) to the BVN ablation procedure itself.
The session commenced with a brief lecture delivered by Dr. Manojit Sinha, an esteemed expert from the United Kingdom. Dr. Sinha elucidated the fundamental indications for the procedure and delved particularly into the technical intricacies and nuances of the procedure.The participants then had two hands-on stations where they could practice the procedure on their own. Dr Sinha and Dr Almahdi led the teaching and training at the stations. Dr Mláka and Dr Griger, experts from EuroPainClinics, completed the instructor team at these two stations.
Second part – 7StarScope in daily clinical practice
Practical applications of the distinctive 7StarScope device were the focus of the second part of the training. This device is a unique combination of ultrasound and a needle-sized endoscope.
Thanks to Lumibird – Interventional Imagining, three stations with 7StarScope were available to the participants.
Station number 3 was taught by experienced instructors from EuroPainClinics, Lubomir Poliak, MD, FIPP and Ladislav Kocan, MD, FIPP, PhD. At this station the participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with and train procedures such as epidural injections, medial branch injections and facet joint injections.
The instructor at station number 4 was Dr Peter Lences, MD, FIPP from EuroPainClinic in Bardejov, who was joined as an instructor by Dr Jan Perduk, MD, an experienced orthopaedic surgeon from the Specialised Clinic of Orthopaedics – Clinic of Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine at Agel Hospital in Košice.
At this station, the lower back and lower limb were accessible to the trainees for training procedures such as transforaminal injections, sacroiliac joint injections, and knee procedures.
Station number 5 was led by the Medical Director of EuroPainClinics for the Czech Republic, Michal Matias MD, FIPP, and French peripheral neurostimulation expert Bénédicte Bouche MD. Under their guidence the participants were instructed in the utilisation of the 7StarScope device in a range of procedures, including peripheral nerve stimulation and intra-articular injections (shoulder, elbow).
COURSE DIRECTOR / FACULTY
The faculty included internationally renowned experts in the field of interventional techniques. The course was led by Robert Rapcan, MD, FIPP, MBA, PhD, the founder of the Interventional Pain Academy.
The instructors were experts in their respective fields of specialisation. The involvement of 7 faculty members with FIPP qualifications also significantly contributed to the overall quality of the teaching.
Faculty:
- Robert Rapcan MD, FIPP, MBA, PhD.
- Jan Perduk MD
- Michal Matias MD, FIPP
- Juraj Mlaka MD, FIPP, EDRA
- Manojit Sinha MD, MBBS, DA, MRCA, FCAI, FFMRCA
- Ladislav Kocan MD, FIPP, PhD.
- Peter Lences MD, FIPP
- Basil Almahdi MD, MB, ChB, FRCA, FFPMRCA
- Lubomir Poliak MD, FIPP
- Martin Griger MD, FIPP, DESA
- Bénédicte Bouche MD
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to express our gratitude to all those who participated in our course with great enthusiasm, as well as to all the instructors who were so generous in sharing their knowledge with such dedication.
We would also like to extend our gratitude to our esteemed partners Alieva Biotec, EuroPainClinics, Lumibird – Interventional Imagining and WARSAW LAB Practical Medicine Institute and DMS – Dynamic Medical Solutions from Czech Republic.
Without whom the organisation of the workshop would not have been possible. They kindly provided us with their state-of-the-art equipment for practical training, which was greatly appreciated.
