The group photo of the presenters in the Sino-Morocco temporal bone microsurgery course. [Photo provided by PUMCH/For chinadaily.com.cn]
A delegation of 13 senior Moroccan ENT specialists participated in a recently concluded advanced training program at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) in Beijing.
The Moroccan Otorhinolaryngology College initiated the four-day program organized by the PUMCH Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) team. Held from Nov 21 to 24, it brought together top professionals from both countries, fostering knowledge sharing and collaboration in the highly specialized fields of skull base and temporal bone surgeries.
This training course reflects a shared commitment to advancing healthcare through international collaboration. Moroccan participants carefully selected ENT surgeons from across the country, including heads of hospitals and universities, who aim to integrate advanced surgical techniques into their practices while fostering bilateral learning with their Chinese counterparts.
The course centered on the Fisch Technique, a comprehensive system meticulously covering aspects of ear microsurgery, temporal bone and lateral skull base surgery, instrument development, surgical approaches, and more.
As a landmark in ENT surgery, the Fisch Technique provides participants hands-on training in Tympanoplasty, Mastoidectomy, Ossicular Chain Reconstruction, and skull base surgery. The program's design emphasized a step-by-step approach, with live surgical demonstrations and practical sessions supervised by senior faculty members at PUMCH.
"Skull base surgery is among the most complex fields in ENT, involving delicate structures like cranial nerves and the brainstem. The Fisch Technique by Professor Ugo Fisch is a cornerstone of advanced ENT surgery, and this program provides participants with a structured, step-by-step introduction to its principles," said Professor Gao Zhiqiang, the director of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of PUMCH.
He highlighted the program's focus on combining traditional Fisch principles with modern innovations, such as advanced surgical tools and systems developed by the PUMCH team.
Professor Feng Guodong is delivering the temporal bone microsurgery training lecture. [Photo provided by PUMCH/For chinadaily.com.cn]
Professor Raji Abdelaziz, President of the Moroccan Otorhinolaryngology College, has exchanged and collaborated with the ENT department since 2017. He once attended Professor Feng Guodong's lectures, held by the Fisch International Microsurgery Foundation in 2016, with trainees from countries such as the United States, Japan, and Germany.
"The ENT team at PUMCH represents a higher level and owns a lot of experience in the field, so we want to learn the knowledge and skills of parts like temporal bone dissection and lateral skull base," he said.
Professor Abdelaziz praised the program as a knowledge-sharing and expert exchange in collaboration to train the younger generation of surgeons and benefit patients from neighboring countries, projecting it to be a lasting partnership between the two countries.
The training offered the Moroccan delegation a unique opportunity to refine their surgical expertise. "It's my first time in Beijing. We can have surgical operations under supervision and learn techniques and rationale from professional doctors," said trainee Lakhdar Youssef, who praised PUMCH's state-of-the-art facilities. "Doctor Feng's demonstrations gave us new insights into tackling challenging cases."
The partnership between PUMCH and the Moroccan Academy of Otolaryngology has grown steadily since 2017. Doctor Feng attended the international ENT meeting twice in 2018 and 2024, strengthening the connection between the two institutes.
Participants engage in surgical dissection training in the laboratory, honing advanced techniques under expert guidance. [Photo provided by Feng Guodong/For chinadaily.com.cn]
Since 2021, the training programs by the ENT department at PUMCH have provided advanced education to 28 participants from Morocco, Japan, South Africa, and Mauritius. Plans are underway for an international meeting in Morocco next year, focusing on continued innovation and knowledge-sharing in ENT practices.
According to Professor Feng Guodong, deputy director of the department and Senior tutor of Fisch International Microsurgery Foundation, the ENT department at PUMCH has innovatively developed Fisch Techniques in surgical methods and tools, such as a surgical machinery follow-up arm and an intelligent display system.
They have introduced 29 patented devices and 4 comprehensive sets of surgical instruments. These advancements, rooted in the Fisch Philosophy, improve surgical precision and elevate the training process.
The collaboration between PUMCH and the Moroccan Academy of Otolaryngology underscores the value of equal exchange and mutual respect in advancing global healthcare. As the program concluded, the training equipped Moroccan surgeons with cutting-edge techniques and set the stage for deeper collaboration in addressing complex ENT challenges.
PUMCH plays a leading role in the Chinese medical career, attracting a wide range of specialists through its training programs in different departments. Over the past five years, many scholars worldwide have come to PUMCH for advanced studies. The departments at PUMCH, including General Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Otolaryngology, Anesthesiology, Laboratory Medicine, Radiology, etc., have welcomed more than 100 international trainees from over 20 countries and regions, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Finland, Malaysia, North Korea, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Bolivia, Algeria, Uganda, Kenya.
With PUMCH's accumulating fame worldwide, it is promising that more participants will engage in its training programs for medical international cooperation in the future.
Guo Yanqi contributed to this story.
Moroccan participants ordering the surgical instruments made by PUMCH, China. [Photo provided by Feng Guodong/For chinadaily.com.cn]
Article from China Daily