Observerships

We are happy to be able to welcome visitors to our unit.  They are usually experienced hand surgeons or therapists with special interest in tetraplegia hand surgery. During shorter or longer visits we try to present our service as detailed as possible, covering many aspects including for example preoperative assessments, surgical strategies, rehabilitation and follow-ups.  We learn a lot from our guests and we appreciate the continuous communication and friendship through these visits.

Dr. Mathilde Gras, a specialist in Orthopaedics and Hand Surgery from Institut de la Main Jouvenet and Institut de l'appareil locomoteur Nollet, Paris, France has received a one month visiting fellowship in Tetrahand surgery. She splits  her fellowship between Department of Hand Surgery at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Swiss Paraplegic  Centre.

Dr. Bertil Vinnars, is a hand surgeon at Akademiska Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.  Dr. Vinnars visited our department in December, 2010 to study the tetraplegia hand surgery and rehabilitation service.  Dr. Vinnars will develop the service in Mid-Sweden by providing assessments and a deepened communication with rehab units regionally.  We are looking forward to this improvement of the accessibility for the spinal cord injured patients.


Dr. Davide Smarrelli, is an orthopaedic surgeon dedicated to hand surgery who works as consultant at the hand surgery department, IRCCS HUMANITAS,  Milano, Italy.  Dr. Smarelli visits the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in November 2010 to take part in the tetraplegia hand surgery service.  Dr. Smarelli will study the different steps of assessment, surgery and rehabilitation in reconstructive hand surgery.

Dr. Estevão Plentz works as hand surgeon at the rehabilitation center of Sarah Kubitschek Hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brasil. He visits the Swedish National Center in Tetraplegia Hand Surgery during the end of September and beginning of October, 2010. Dr. Plentz's objective is to collect information about infrastructure and strategies to establish a reconstructive tetraplegia hand surgery unit in Belo Horizonte. We are enjoying the important discussions about how to meet patients' performance goals by surgery and rehabilitation as well as the ideas and new perspectives that Dr. Plentz generously shares with us.

Swiss and German guests at Sahlgrenska
The Tetraplegia Hand Surgery team at Schweizer Paraplegiker Zentrum, Switzerland represented by Dörte Hegemann, Sabrina Koch, Eva Kissling, Franziska Reding and Simeon Grossmann  visited together with Dr Oswald Marcus from Frankfurt, Germany  the Sahlgrenska University Hospital  in September, 2010.  They were hosted by the Swedish team represented here by Ann-Sofi  Lamberg, Johanna Wangdell and Jan Fridén .

Dr. Heba Khalifa is a resident in hand surgery at Clinique La Francilienne, Paris, France.  She has been awarded the FESSH Junior Travelship to participate in Tetraplegia Hand Surgery.  The fellowship  is part of her preparation for the FESSH Diploma.  Dr Khalifa will spend three weeks in April 2010 at the Department of Hand Surgery, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.





Dr.  Andreas Gohritz is a plastic surgeon from Klinik für Plastische, Hand-  und Wiederherstellungschirurgie at the Medical Faculty of Hannover  University.  Dr. Gohritz visits our unit to work on data regarding  potential use of nerve transfer in reconstruction of upper limb function  in tetraplegia.  Dr. Gohritz's research visit is by the end of March  2010.





The  Tetraplegia Hand Surgery team at Medisch Spectrum Twente,  Enschede, Netherlands visited our team March 2010.  Our Dutch  colleagues participated in surgical reconstruction, postoperative  training and outpatient clinics.  We were all encouraged by stimulating  discussions and exchange of ideas.  Photo shows from left Gera Slump Hultink,  Jocelyne Oostendorp, Anand Nene and Govert Snoek and patient.


Dr. Ludmilla Fialova is a plastic surgeon from Prague visiting Department of Hand Surgery for two weeks during the second half of January 2010.  She is particularly interested in tetraplegia and cerebral palsy hand surgery.








Dr. Mitsuhiko Takahashi from the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Tokushima Graduate School in Japan visited us in October 2009.  Dr. Takahashi participated in our regular reconstructive tetraplegia hand surgery and postoperative training.


Dr. Tove Palmgren from the Department of Hand Surgery at Tölö hospital in Helsinki visited the Tetraplegia Hand Surgery unit in October 2009.





Dr. Leinke Balacz, a specialist  in Orthopaedics and Hand Surgery at the University Hospital in Miskolsc, Hungary spent the months of May and June, 2009 in our unit.  He focused on tetraplegia and congenital hand surgery.