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J. Rod Davey, M.D., FRCSC
Toronto Western Hospital
Toronto, ON I would like to thank the Hong Kong Orthopaedic Association (HKOA) as well as the Canadian Orthopaedic Association (COA) for the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong as the 2002 Canadian Ambassador. My submitted manuscript was "The Effect of Femoral Component Offset- A Canine Cement-less Total Hip Arthroplasty Model". My co-authors on the paper were Dr. Paul Wong and Dr. Alan Binnington. The meeting was the 22nd Annual Congress of the HKOA. The 4th Hip Section Meeting of the Asian Pacific Orthopaedic Association (APOA) took place at the same time.
 | | Figure 1: The Hong Kong skyline at night. | Seven ambassadors from Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, as well as myself from Canada, were invited to the meeting as representatives of their respective orthopaedic associations. There was also an impressive group of invited speakers from overseas, most of whom had an interest in surgery of the hip because of their involvement with the Hip Section Meeting of the APOA. These speakers included Dr. J.G. Horne from New Zealand, Dr. D.W. Howie from Australia, Dr. A.H. Glassman and Dr. R. Kyle from the USA, and Dr. C.H. Rorabeck from Canada.
Tuesday November 14, 2002
I arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday November 14, 2002 after 191 - 2 long hours in the air. I was immediately impressed by the local architecture; the buildings in Hong Kong were all extremely tall and all extremely close to one another (Figure 1). I checked into my hotel, then went on a mission to find the local Starbucks for a caffeine-fix to help keep me awake. That evening the organizing committee took the entire faculty out to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht club for a wonderful meal where the invited faculty and ambassadors got acquainted with the local speakers and organizers.
 | | Figure 2: The Hong Kong Convention and Exibition Centre. | Wednesday November 15, 2002
The meeting officially started the following morning. It was held in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, a very modern and impressive structure located in the city on the waterfront (Figure 2). We heard about Adult Hip Reconstruction: Asian-Pacific Perspective from the invited surgeons from the Asian-Pacific rim. I learned that the morphology of the proximal femur is different here compared to North America, and prosthetic design has to take this difference into account. We also attended Plenary Sessions on "Primary and Revision Joint Arthroplasty". That evening Dr. Peter K.Y. Chiu took a small group of us to a local fishing village where we were able to pick our cuisine from the salt water tanks just outside the restaurant before it was prepared in local Chinese fashion. The food was delicious but I don't think I will order the "1000 Year Old Egg" the next time I am in Hong Kong.
Thursday November 16, 2002
On the following day we had Plenary Sessions on Bearing Surfaces, Developmental Dysplasia and Perthes Disease. Canada's own Dr. Cecil H. Rorabeck gave the Guest Lecture entitled "Trials: Their Role in Total Hip Replacement" that was well received and appreciated by all present. In the late afternoon we travelled about an hour out of town to see the world's largest "Sitting Budha" built by local monks (Figure 3). The Congress Banquet and Awards Presentation took place that evening in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Local musicians, Chinese acrobats, and four young patients from the Duchess of Kent Childrens' Hospital - who impressed us with some amazing magic tricks, entertained us. The highlight of the evening was an Italian Opera serenade from Dr. David Fang, a local orthopaedic surgeon from the St. Paul Hospital in Hong Kong.
 | | Figure 3: The world’s largest sitting Budha. | Friday November 17, 2002
On the last day of the meeting we had Plenary Sessions on "Tumours Around the Hip" and "Hip Trauma". Dr. Y.H. Li from the HKOA gave the Presidential Address. All seven of the ambassadors gave their podium presentations that morning. Topics included hip replacement, knee replacement, spine surgery and calcaneal fractures. Dr. K.H. Chiu, Co-chairman of the Organizing Committee, gave the closing remarks. That afternoon I took the rapid transit back to the airport and made the long trip home.
I certainly enjoyed the meeting, seeing Hong Kong for the first time, and having the opportunity to see some old friends as well as make many new friends. It is interesting and educational to hear how surgeons on the other side of the world deal with the same problems we see every day. I would encourage others to apply for the COA Hong Kong Ambassadorship in the future. It was a great experience that I will remember forever. Thank you again for the opportunity to represent the COA. |
Medical Education 
