Hiba Alreefy, Consultant Rhinologist & Facial Plastic Surgeon, Medical Director Awali Hospital Bahrain.
The ENT Masterclass returned to Bahrain as the Middle East hub with a heavily weighted educational programme. Delegates registered from UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain, with over 100 attending face-to-face or via Zoom.
Emma Stapleton started the first morning with a discussion of cochlear implants in children followed by eminent otologists covering common otology topics. Professor Shakeel Saeed from London delivered a lecture on surgical management of facial palsy, Asad Qayyum shared pearls and pitfalls in management of cholesteatoma in children, Richard Irving covered paragangliomas, and Omar Sabra, the local otologist at the ENT department at King Hamad University Hospital, delivered a lecture on management of CP angle lesions. The morning session ended with a pioneer in endoscopic ear surgery, Professor Muaz Tarabichi from Dubai, who shared his tips and pitfalls.
The afternoon session was filled with rich otology topics and the day ended with a panel discussion led by Prof Saeed, prompting interesting discussion. Brigadier Professor Hesham Alrayees from Bahrain shared his experience with the management of headaches and described his technique in SPG block.
The rhinology/skull base and facial plastic session on the second day started off with Professor Hesham Saleh talking on the management of CSF leaks and, of course, mastering evaluation and assessment of rhinoplasty. It was followed by Shahz Ahmed discussing complications of sinus surgery and transorbital approaches. Mahmoud Daoud from Romania discussed nasal valve surgery and Hiba Alreefy, the ENT Masterclass Coordinator for Bahrain, delivered a talk on MDT in rhinology. Prof Saleh led the rhinology panel, which discussed interesting aesthetic and functional rhinology cases.
The second part of the afternoon was head and neck dominated with Professor Farooq Riffat from Australia lecturing on controversies in neck dissection. Professor Peter Clarke delivered his talk on laryngectomy surgery, followed by Ahmet Ikiz from Turkey talking on surgical approaches for parapharyngeal tumours.
The ENT Masterclass Chairman, Professor Shahed Quraishi delivered a talk on minimal access parathyroid surgery and had excellent feedback from the local head and neck team in Bahrain.
The event was under the patronage of His Excellency Lieutenant General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa President of the Supreme Council of Health, Bahrain. He met with the ENT Masterclass chairman and the local organisers at his office and expressed his interest in future collaborations. During the two-day visit Prof Quraishi was invited to visit the Crown Prince Centre for Training and Medical Research and met with the director of the centre and discussed future collaborations.
