Biologic Orthopedic Update from Las Vegas

The TOBI biologic orthopedic meeting this past weekend in Las Vegas was simply outstanding.  Dr. Steve Sampson put together an excellent collection of lectures and then followed by an impressive ultrasound anatomy session by Dr. Jay Smith from the Mayo Clinic.   Hands on injections and bone marrow aspiration in a cadaver lab completed the stellar conference held at the Red Rock Resort.

Las Vegas Red Rock Area

Some highlights of the sessions.  We heard about the use of PRP in soccer players from Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad from London, England, the use of PRP for osteoarthritis from Dr. Brian Cole from Chicago, the use of adipose-derived stem cells for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis from Dr. Yun Choi from South Korea, minimally invasive techniques for articular cartilage damage from Dr. Neil Ghodadra from Los Angeles and the Andrews Institute Experience using Biologics to Accelerate Healing from Dr. Adam Anz.   Lectures about hydrodissection using ultrasound (Dr. Lam, Hong Kong), the current landscape of disc regeneration challenges and promises (Dr. Bae, Los Angeles) and the value of mesenchymal stem cells (Dr. Caplan, Cleveland) were also given.  That was just part of day one of the conference.  Day two included several more interesting and important lectures.  I think there were over 300 attendees and many more following the streaming video (including myself on day one).  In between the lectures, discussions were carried out in the hallways and exhibit area.  Overall, it was a fantastic international event.

The field of biologic orthopedics is exploding.  Worldwide interest in minimally invasive techniques to treat challenging musculoskeletal problems is rising rapidly.  It will still take time, effort and some luck to discover and develop clinically meaningful treatments.  The good news is, progress is definitely being made toward these lofty goals.

AM
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