reconstructive plastic surgery - Macquarie University Hospital

10
KNoWleDGe FRoM ABRoAD
A nEw APPROACH TO SHOulDER SuRGERY AT
MACquARiE uniVERSiTY HOSPiTAl
kAlmAn And his fAmily dr lAurent lAfosse, ChAir of
the AlPs surgery institute
RECEnTlY TRAinED AT THE
wORlD fAMOuS AlPS
SuRGERY inSTiTuTE in
fRAnCE, AuSTRAliAn
SHOulDER SuRGEOn,
DR kAlMAn PiPER, bRinGS
THE lATEST SHOulDER
SuRGiCAl TECHniquES TO
MACquARiE uniVERSiTY
HOSPiTAl.
In the past, many shoulder conditions
were managed without surgery. Now,
researchers are finding that results from
non-operative approaches are not always
favourable in the long term. As a result,
surgeons are offering surgical solutions
earlier rather than later when a patient
presents with certain conditions.
Macquarie University Hospital offers
patients the most innovative procedures
in shoulder surgery. Many of these are
now offered as keyhole and arthroscopy
techniques – rather than as traditional
surgery – where a camera and instruments
are inserted through much smaller incisions
around the shoulder. The surgeon then
performs the surgery while watching an
image of the shoulder on a monitor.
Macquarie University Hospital
orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Kalman Piper, has
recently returned from Annecy, France,
where he completed a year of training in
Advanced Shoulder Surgery under the
world-renowned surgeon Dr Laurent
Lafosse, Chair of the Alps Surgery Institute
and a pioneer of modern shoulder
surgery. Dr Lafosse, regarded as one of the
world leaders in arthroscopic shoulder
surgery, is an international consultant and
speaker and was recently invited to lecture
in Australia.
Dr Piper was one of the first Australian
doctors to receive training from Dr Lafosse
and now brings with him skills in several
innovative techniques.
“A lot has changed since I began my
original orthopaedic training ten years
ago,” said Dr Piper. “The latest
developments are moving towards
keyhole or arthroscopic procedures. The
Alps Surgery Institute is one of the world
leaders in developing new techniques and
in training doctors.”
One of the most common conditions that
shoulder surgeons encounter is a rotator
cuff tear. While it is often associated with
an injury to the shoulder, tears are present
in many patients over the age of 60 years
with no history of shoulder injury. In the
past, this condition used to be managed
by physiotherapy, with open surgery
reserved for those who had ongoing pain
for many months. Now surgery is
performed for more patients using
keyhole techniques and is showing
improved long-term outcomes.
Another common condition – whose
treatment has seen rapid advances – is
shoulder dislocation. In young adult males
who have had a shoulder dislocation, the
recurrence rates are as high as 85 per cent.
Surgery is now recommended for most