On March 18 the ISGE faculty Bashkar Goolab and Bruno van Herendae, joined by Helder Fereira from Portugal, started the course at the Ethikweni Hospital in Durban. Our immediate past president Prashant Mangeshikar could not make it due to visa problems.

The focus in Durban is on the live surgery. The structural sponsor of ISGE Karl Storz Gmbh & Co represented by the South African branch in the person of Marcia Snijman did help out and this second edition more complex operations were performed i.e. endometriosis by Helder Fereira. Bruno van Herendael did perform several hysteroscopies and a subtotal hysterectomy. On the second day Helder did operate on a 12 year old girl with an ovarian mass and peritoneal inclusions. Pathology revealed a mucinous cystadeno carcinoma and peritoneal tuberculosis: this combination is extremely rare. In between the operations Bash did present lectures on the Medico Legal aspect of our speciality whilst Bruno van Herendael and Helder Fereira did lecture on topics asked for by the audience. Some 35 attendees did enjoy the two days and the hospitality of the Durban Society (DOGS Durban Ob/Gyn Society) was exemplary. The local press did report on the event. It has to be said that especially the live sessions did evolve very smoothly.

Following the ISGE Durban course the faculty did move to Johannesburg for the biannual ISGE Suture course at Wits University in the facilities of the department of surgery. Here our member Andreas Chrysostomou joined the faculty. The 16 participants did enjoy the sequence of lectures on the different aspects of laparoscopic suturing and the hands on lab sessions. Bash Goolab did explain the use of the different instruments needed to perform a safe endoscopic operation and the potential use of barbed sutures. Helder Fereira did show the audience composed of senior and junior gynaecologists the way suturing can be performed. Bruno van Herendael did present the suture course of the ISGE a copy righted series of eight lectures available for the members on the website www.thetrocar.com.

The possible complications in endoscopic surgery were presented by Bruno van Herendael and Helder Fereira and solutions to prevent and treat the latter were presented in discussion with the audience. The local hospitality of our host Bash Goolab was phenomenal and very much appreciated by the different participants.

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