Manuela Cresswell and Sam Cho
ENT UK Chris Raine and Matthew Yung Otology Travelling Fellowship Report
We were honoured and grateful to be awarded the ENT UK Chris Raine and Matthew Yung Travelling Fellowship prize to Modena, Italy, to study with Professor Daniele Marchioni. Our visit coincided with the celebration of the 850th anniversary of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia - one of the oldest universities in Europe and in commemoration of this special milestone, the University and Professor Marchioni devised a unique programme called the Modena Lateral Skull Base Summer School. 
This intensive programme, led by Professor Marchioni and a world-renowned faculty, ran for seven days with a mix of live surgeries, lectures and fresh frozen cadaveric dissection. With only five candidates selected from a highly competitive international pool - Joaquín Reyes (Bolivia), Amed Natour (Israel), Gözde Günay (Turkey), Sam Cho (Nottingham, UK), and Manuela Cresswell (Plymouth, UK), the programme offered exceptional access to one-to-one teaching, open discussion and tailored mentorship.
The course director, Professor Daniele Marchioni, a pioneer of endoscopic ear surgery and an authority on lateral skull base anatomy, set the tone for the week. His generosity as an educator, relentless enthusiasm and surgical mastery were constantly apparent, making even the most complex procedures appear elegant and comprehensible. Distinguished international faculty, including Professor In Seok Moon (Korea) and Professor Mohamed Badr-El-Dine (Egypt), enriched the programme with their expertise and personal surgical experience. The wider Modena team (ENT consultants, neurosurgeons and residents) delivered high-quality lectures, case discussions and hands-on guidance throughout. 
Running daily from 09:00 to 18:00, the course offered a dense curriculum covering the full spectrum of lateral skull base approaches and clinical decision-making.
The centrepiece was a series of live surgeries, streamed in high definition with excellent audio-visual clarity. On the first day, Professor Marchioni performed a novel microscopic transpromontorial approach for a small Koos I vestibular schwannoma, with simultaneous cochlear implantation. Subsequent live surgeries included a middle cranial fossa approach for facial nerve haemangioma, an infratemporal fossa type A approach for a large paraganglioma with intracranial extension, a translabyrinthine approach for vestibular schwannoma with simultaneous cochlear implantation, and a retrosigmoid approach for neurovascular conflict. Moderators in the lecture room facilitated real-time discussion, answered questions and offered valuable commentary based on their own surgical experience. 
Professor Marchioni and his team worked tirelessly to ensure every candidate had the opportunity to engage directly, ask questions and consolidate their understanding. In addition to his surgical expertise, Professor Marchioni’s artistic skill, illustrating anatomy and surgical corridors with remarkable clarity, added a unique and memorable dimension to the teaching.
Complementing the live surgery component were lectures spanning skull base anatomy, neuroradiology, surgical planning and facial nerve rehabilitation. These sessions provided strong conceptual foundations for the two-day cadaveric dissection workshop that concluded the course. Each dissection was preceded by an innovative 3D step by step surgical video demonstration by Professor Marchioni, enabling candidates to immediately apply what they had observed.
The social programme was equally impressive. Italian hospitality and cuisine provided a welcome end to each intensive day. Highlights included a private tasting of Aceto Balsamico di Modena at a local acetaia, a traditional dinner, visits to the Ferrari Museum and meals at some of Modena’s best pizzerias. Throughout the week, candidates and faculty formed genuine connections, leaving with new friendships and a lasting sense of welcome.
This travelling fellowship has been an immensely valuable and inspiring experience. We returned with enhanced surgical insight, renewed motivation, and a deeper appreciation for the diversity of surgical practices around the world, as well as the shared commitment to improving outcomes. It was especially helpful to learn practical techniques, including managing bleeding in paraganglioma surgery, employing middle ear instruments for IAC dissection, and recognising when endoscopic-assisted lateral skull base surgery is advantageous.
We are sincerely grateful to ENT UK for supporting this opportunity through the Chris Raine and Matthew Yung Travelling Fellowship prize. We would also like to thank Professor Marchioni and the team in Modena for their warm hospitality, expert guidance, and for making the University’s 850th anniversary course such a memorable experience.
