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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
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| Year : 2019 | Volume
: 24
| Issue : 3 | Page : 232-233 |
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Reflections on a poster session at IAPSCON 2018
Govind V S. Murthi
Paediatric Surgical Unit, Sheffield Children's Hospital, Sheffield, UK
| Date of Web Publication | 6-Jun-2019 |
Correspondence Address:
Mr. Govind V S. Murthi
Sheffield Children's Hospital, Western Bank, Sheffield, S102TH
UK
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jiaps.JIAPS_217_18
How to cite this article:
S. Murthi GV. Reflections on a poster session at IAPSCON 2018. J Indian Assoc Pediatr Surg 2019;24:232-3 |
Sir,
I had the privilege to co-chair a poster session (no. 16) at the recently held IAPSCON 2018 at PGIMER, Chandigarh. I wish to share my thoughts on this experience.
There were a total of 24/27 posters put up for this session. I was quite impressed by the range of topics covered and the messages they tried to convey. That India is a “land of contrasts and immense diversity” is evident even in this collection of pediatric surgical conditions! The breath-taking range included the rare embryologic gems (foot in perineum, mesocolic hernia, renal location of teratoma, and rectal and colonic duplications), the innovative (new repair of female epispadias), the investigative (delineating anomalous vascular anatomy in biliary atresia), the iatrogenic (accidental ligation of superior mesenteric artery (SMA), duodenal hematoma and bowel perforation following upper gastro-intestinal endoscopy (UGI) endoscopy, the speculative (pyelotubular backflow, gubernaculum preserving orchidopexy, anorectal myomectomy for refractory constipation), the imaginative (life-saving anastomosis of left renal artery stump to divided SMA), the opportunistic (systematic review of epidermal penile cysts), the sociocultural (the continuing prevalence of the myth of “foreskin hygiene,” solitary penile injuries), and to the profound (persisting high mortality in antenatally diagnosed congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)).
While all this is a testament to the knowledge, dedication, and versatility of Pediatric Surgeons in India, one could not escape the reality of the continuing inequality faced by Indian children regarding access to quality medical care in their time of need – excellent results from gastric tube pull-up for esophageal replacement in the nation's Capital versus high mortality from antenatally detected CDH down South and quacks undertaking circumcision with disastrous consequences.
The presentation of most posters could be improved upon with less text and more bullet points. The scientific variety on display ranged from case reports (12) to retrospective reviews (6), to points of technique (4), to surveys (1), and to a systematic review (1); there were no audits – a common trend in the UK.
This has rekindled my curiosity as a student of Pediatric Surgery, and I am headed for my University library as no Google search is going to whet my desire to learn more about these topics which ranged from the unusual to the esoteric.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
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