Blackstone, Turner, Hansen Attend AAOS Meeting

Bruce Blackstone, Bill Turner and Eric Hansen of Longview Orthopedic Associates recently attended the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The event took place at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco from February 7th through 10th.

Founded in 1933, the AAOS provides musculoskeletal education to orthopedists throughout the world. This year’s meeting drew more than 14,000 orthopedic surgeons.

Bruce Blackstone, MD

Blackstone attended sessions on revision knee replacement surgery, as well as shoulder rotator cuff and instability problems.

"Being involved in these sessions is an excellent way to stay informed about clinically-proven improvements in surgical techniques," he said. "It also confirms that we are providing excellent and up-to-date care for our patients at Pacific Surgical Center and St. John Hospital."

Turner attended courses taught by a variety of international experts. Issues addressed included advances in joint replacement, arthroscopic repair of shoulder instability, partial knee replacement, and prevention/treatment of sports injuries in children.

The partial knee replacement seminar focused on "patient-specific instrumentation," a technique that involves measuring the patient’s knee with a detailed MRI and creating custom instruments to improve the precision and fit of the surgery.

"I’ve performed a few of these surgeries at St. John (Hospital), and the results are promising."

Bill Turner, MD

Turner said the conference also illustrated the extent to which powerful data bases are now allowing orthopedic researchers to develop huge studies that include patients from dozens of centers worldwide.

"These coordinated research efforts will allow us to identify the most effective treatment methods," he said. "It’s a huge jump from a few decades ago when including 500 patients in a study was a difficult undertaking."

Hansen attended courses on ACL reconstruction, treatment of proximal biceps and labral injuries in the shoulder, bone graft substitutes, distal radius fractures, and articular cartilage defects. In addition, he attended the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society’s specialty day, which focused on pilon fractures, calcaneus fractures, flat foot reconstruction and bunion treatment.

"I also heard updates and recent studies about the four ankle replacement systems now approved by the FDA," he said. "Just a few years ago, there was only one approved."

Dr. Blackstone recommends the AAOS website as an excellent resource for patients interested in learning more about orthopedic conditions and treatments.

To schedule an appointment with an LOA physician, call 360.501.3400. No referral from your primary care physician is needed.

Eric Hansen, MD