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Dear Colleagues,
I am once again thrilled to share with you our newest edition of the 2018 IUGA Newsletter. In this issue, we share highlights of our Annual Meeting in the elegant city of Vienna. Please enjoy our highpoints and photo gallery!
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In addition, Dr. Rebecca Rogers, IUJ Co-Editor-in-Chief, shares with us how the IUJ will be celebrating Peer Review Week as well as recognizing the Top 10 Editorial Board Members who have provided the most peer reviews this past year.
We continue to encourage everyone’s contribution to our upcoming newsletters. Please contact me or Missy Render (
Kind regards,
Debby Karp, MD, FACOG
IUGA Publications Committee Chair
On July 30, 2018, the FDA has issued a warning to alert patients and health care providers that the use of energy-based devices to perform vaginal "rejuvenation," cosmetic vaginal procedures, or non-surgical vaginal procedures to treat symptoms related to menopause, urinary incontinence, or sexual function may be associated with serious adverse events. The safety and effectiveness of energy-based devices for treatment of these conditions has not been established.
The statement can be found here: https://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm615013.htm
On April 26, 2018, Dr. Ranee Thakar (Vice-President of IUGA) and Dr. Abdul Sultan (Chair of the IUGA Membership Committee) joined more than 600 people at the VII Jornada Internacional de Uroginecologia da USP excellently hosted by Jorge Milhem Haddad in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They lead the Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries (OASIS) workshop, which is focused on the diagnosis and repair of 3rd and 4th degree perineal and anorectal tears.
Obstetric anal sphincter disruption is a major cause of anal incontinence. Many clinicians report feeling inadequately trained to recognise and repair anal injuries. Techniques to identify, classify, and repair anal sphincter damage were explained in detail and then participants were given the opportunity to practice on animal parts. As 85% of women who have a vaginal birth sustain some form of perineal trauma, the information and techniques taught in this workshop are of the utmost importance for all doctors in the fields of obstetrics, urogynecology and gynecology. It is also useful for midwives, Labor Ward Managers, and Colorectal Surgeons.
Drs. Thakar and Sultan were also available at the IUGA booth after the workshop to answer questions about OASIS and about IUGA. Many of the attendees signed up as new IUGA members.
Historically within urogynecology, the lack of data combined with commercial pressure has been persuasive. In addition, many databases are designed to evaluate procedures and their outcomes rather than to provide decision-making guidance. The IUGA Database aims to address these short-comings.
The IUGA Database Challenge, October 1-7, 2018, will not only introduce members to the database but will also demonstrate the power of numbers. Our goal is to have at least 5,000 cases entered during the challenge week. Initial data will provide world demographics of surgery with the aim of being able to set standards for simple procedures.
All IUGA members receive free access to the IUGA Surgical Database as a benefit of membership. Learn more about the Challenge and request your free account today!
Whether it is for the 1st time or the 10th, some presentations are worth watching and re-watching. Learn from the experts who presented in Vienna in the comfort of your own home! The first set of content from the IUGA 43rd Annual Meetingcontent from the IUGA 43rd Annual Meeting is now available on the IUGA Academy and includes special lectures, plenaries, and e-posters.
Check out the most recent video: the Mini State-of-the-Art lecture of Dr. Abdul Sultan and Ms. Wendy Ness 'Management of fecal incontinence for the urogynecologist' has been published on the IUGA Academy.
Watch now!
We will continue to release content from the IUGA 43rd Annual Meeting throughout the year. Stay tuned!
Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. If you are looking for the opportunity to grow your knowledge and skills, apply for an IUGA Observership Grant today! The purpose of the Observership Grant is to offset the costs of visiting an approved host site with proven expertise in a specific area of urogynecology, selected by the applicant. Recipients spend 2-4 weeks at the host site learning and honing their skills. Observership grants are available in three categories.
Learn from IUGA President, Lynsey Hayward, what has kept IUGA so busy over the last year and what we are doing to better serve our members!
Save the Date: Chennai, India Regional Symposium
Location: The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University
Dates: September 07 -09, 2018
Local Host: Urogynecology & Reconstructive, Pelvic, Surgery, Society of India (URPSSI)
Register at: http://www.urpssi.org/events/register
Click here for more information
Click here for program details