3RD MRS-APSCVIR INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY WORKSHOP
This 3rd IR workshop was held from 16-17 January 2018 at Yangon General Hospital.
The APSCVIR faculty who volunteered were Dr Yasuaki Arai from Japan, Dr Joseph Kim and Dr Je Hwan Won from Korea, Dr Alex Tang from Malaysia and Dr Luke Toh and Dr Tan Bien Soo from Singapore. The faculty were warmly welcomed by Prof Than Than Sint, President of the MRS, and her colleagues.
The format this year was more focused, moving away from basic topics. There were sessions addressing IR management of hepatocellular carcinoma and hemodialysis access interventions. There were also topics on paediatric IR by Dr Luke Toh. Our Myanmar colleagues also contributed several lectures.
The live cases featured included hepatic chemoembolization, percutaneous biliary drainage, uterine artery embolization and venous port implantation. The faculty were again encouraged by the strong audience presence at the workshop.
A new initiative this year was a single day IR Workshop on 19th January 2018 in Mandalay. Our Myanmar colleagues, including Prof Than Than Sein and Prof Kyaw Zaya, accompanied 3 faculty, Dr Kim, Dr Toh and Dr Tan to Mandalay. Mandalay General Hospital is a busy institution serving the north of the country. The interventional suite is modern and well equipped, although access to catheters and devices is limited. Several talks were delivered by the APSCVIR faculty, and also by Dr Min Lwin Oo from Mandalay General Hospital. There were also live cases featuring hepatic chemoembolization and insertion of a peripherally inserted central catheter. The workshop attracted a good audience number as well.
The 3rd MRS-APSCVIR Workshop was again well received and there was consensus that the initiative should continue in 2019, with both Yangon and Mandalay, as development of IR must be based on sustained collaborative efforts. The APSCVIR team would like to thank our MRS hosts for the local organisation and logistics to facilitate the programme, and for the very kind hospitality extended to the faculty.