Houston Methodist Prepares for Ever-Expanding Dissection Course

Pictured above: Drs. Michael Yim and Omar Ahmed

Physicians at Houston Methodist are preparing to host the fourth resident-focused city-wide dissection course, which will be attended by otolaryngology residents from The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Houston and Houston Methodist. The course is conducted at MITIE^SM, and students hear lectures on endoscopic sinus surgery, endoscopic orbital surgery and endoscopic skull-based surgery, followed by a cadaver dissection.

View a complete list of upcoming courses.

Course lectures and presentations are given by faculty in rhinology from Houston Methodist. Past speakers have included Troy Woodard, MD, FACS, Cleveland Clinic and President-Elect, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery; Martin Citardi, MD, UT-Houston Chairman of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery; Jonathan Y. Ting, MD, Chair, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Indiana University; as well as faculty from Louisiana State University, The University of Texas-Houston, Baylor and UTMB. Woodard, who is the Section Head of Rhinology, Sinus, & Skull Base Surgery and Director of Surgical Services at Cleveland Clinic Beachwood ASC, said he was amazed at the high level of the course. “The course at Houston Methodist was geared towards residents, but the quality of the speakers, the equipment and lab space really were at the level of one of the national courses,” Woodard said. The course is unique, Woodard added, in that it demonstrated collaboration with resident education. “The residents appreciate the course. We have a great turnout for the hands-on dissection course because it feels like they’re in the operating room,” said Omar G. Ahmed, MD, who, along with Mas Takashima, MD, co-directs the course. “They have the instruments we now use in surgery, so the program is as close as you can get to simulation. It's such a great opportunity,”

The full-day course covers many aspects of otolaryngology, and new offerings are added each year. Kenny Lin, MD, said vendors supply some equipment, such as microscopes and cadaver specimens, for the stations. “It’s my hope is to have five or six stations again this year and in the next few years. As our number of residents grows each year, we will hopefully be able to add stations to accommodate the whole group,” Lin said. Students in Lin’s course will practice repairing an eardrum, repairing the bones of hearing inside the ear, and drilling and opening the bone behind the ear to the final important structures, like the facial nerve that goes to the muscles of the face.

Kenny Lin, MD

Joshua Kain, MD

For the past three years, Joshua J. Kain, MD, has taught a surgical anatomy and technique course for some of the most common head and neck cancer-related operations. Kain noted that the course is an unmatched opportunity to see anatomy that is never routinely seen in the operating room, but that’s critical for making better surgeons in the operating room. “One of the examples of what I like to do during this course is to deconstruct most of the bones of the upper face so that we can see the relationship of what lives behind this and one layer behind that,” Kain said. “There are good reasons why we can't do that in the operating room, but it gives us a good, 3D way to teach and provide the nuance and have a better understanding of those relationships that you don't get to see during a live case.”

Rhinoplasty is a new addition to the course this year. It will be taught by Anthony E. Brissett, MD, who said he’s looking forward to a technique that’s garnering some attention lately. “There’s a movement afoot right now in relationship to rhinoplasty techniques that’s referred to as preservation rhinoplasty. It's an old technique that has experienced the resurgence based on new technology that is available. I would like to give my residents and fellows more of a hands-on experience with that,” Brissett said. The course will also include some of Brissett’s current and past fellows who will also participate in the course as well. It's an opportunity for him to bring back previous or past trainees to participate, he added.

Anthony E. Brissett, MD

Upcoming Courses

May 23

UT Didactics Laryngology, 1-5 p.m.

May 29

Thyroid/Endocrine Tumor Conference, Noon

June 3, 10, 17, 24

Morning Case Conference, 7 a.m.

June 4 ,18

Head and Neck Multidisciplinary Tumor Board Conference, 7 a.m.

June 6, 27

UT Grand Rounds, 7 a.m.

June 5, 1, 19, 26

Bobby R. Alford Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Grand Rounds, 7 a.m.

June 14

UT Didactics Head & Neck, 1-5 p.m.

June 26

Thyroid/Endocrine Tumor Conference, Noon

June 27

UT Didactics Administration, 1-5 p.m.

Aug. 26-28

Head and neck cadaver dissection course, Noon-5 p.m.

Sept. 14

Sinus course, 7:30 a.m.

May 23: UT Didactics Laryngology, 1 to 5 p.m . May 29: Thyroid/Endocrine Tumor Conference, noon. June 3, 10, 17, and 24: Morning Case Conference, 7 a.m. June 4 and 18: Head and Neck Multidisciplinary Tumor Board Conference, 7 a.m. June 6 and 27: UT Grand Rounds, 7 a.m. June 5, 1, 19, and 26: Bobby R. Alford Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Grand Rounds, 7 a.m. June 14: UT Didactics Head & Neck, 1 to 5 p.m. June 26: Thyroid/Endocrine Tumor Conference, noon. June 27: UT Didactics Administration, 1 to 5 p.m. Aug. 26-28: Head and neck cadaver dissection course, 12 - 5 p.m. Sept. 14: Sinus course, 7:30 a.m.