SURGICAL MASTERCLASS held at ASSERT

The ASSERT centre, UCC, hosted the Inaugural masterclass in the surgical management of stress urinary incontinence on the 1st and 2nd of March. The masterclass was organized by Professor Barry O’Reilly, Ms Orfhlaith O’Sullivan, and Dr Fadi Salameh, and was aimed at consultants, fellows and senior trainees in both obstetrics and gynaecology and urology, and was facilitated by a team of expert international faculty. It provided the participants with hands-on cadaveric training in a wide range of vaginal, open and laparoscopic surgeries for the management of stress incontinence. The state-of-the-art facilities at the ASSERT centre allowed both real time and post procedure feedback from the expert faculty.

The masterclass comes at a time when controversy surrounds the use of mesh in urogynaecology and urology, and was designed to provide participants high-fidelity training in alternative surgeries including both laparoscopic and open burch colposuspension, autologous pubovaginal slings, and urethral bulking agents

The overriding consensus on mid-urethral slings is that we need to lift the pause and bring back the procedure that has cured so many women. But at the same time be able to provide them with alternatives should they chose so.

The ASSERT centre will also host another related masterclass in the management of mesh complications on the 10th and 11th of May.