Welcome Message

Welcome to the website of the ASEAN Head and Neck dissection course.

This course started in 2018, intentionally to help develop head and neck surgeons, especially the youngsters, to be sufficient in handling head and neck cancer patients in the region.

It was initiated by the 5 head and neck surgeons; Dr. Phakdhee Sanikorn (Thailand); Dr. Marlinda Adham (Indonesia); Prof Alfredo Pontejos (Philippines), Prof. I Bing Tan (Netherlands) and Dr. Patravoot Vatanasapt (Thailand), as the mission of the Asian Society of Head and Neck Oncology (ASHNO) when Marlinda led her Presidential task (2017-2019) to reach more youngsters and give them more experience in anatomy and surgical dissection.

The course was held over three days including theory, practice, and sharing. It begins with an overview of the principles of surgery for the head and neck cancer, moving quickly on to short talks on surgical techniques, and tips and pitfalls in specific procedures. The course is informative and interactive to allow participants to learn according to their foundation and needs, with international instructors from the Netherlands, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

This was then followed by extended sessions in the dissection laboratory. It was carried out on fresh frozen cadavers allowing for the best “real life” tissue simulation possible. Each cadaver was shared between two dissectors. Group being very small and the overall atmosphere were very relaxed allowing for a casual and informal learning environment.

Specific procedures included the full spectrum of routine head and neck operations: thyroidectomy, parotidectomy, neck dissection and laryngectomy. Procedures of skin cancer surgery were also included. A reconstructive session included raising and in setting pedicled pectoralis major and deltopectoral flap. The participants are also allowed to select additional procedures to practice during the dissection.

On the last day, it is an opportunity for the participants to share and learn from various experiences of the instructors as well as the participants themselves, in the "How I do it" session.

This course is aimed at trainees in otolaryngology (ear, nose, and throat (ENT) or fellows in head and neck surgery who would like to develop their skills in surgical dissection. It is suitable for junior trainees who are looking for an introduction to head and neck surgical anatomy and dissection and also for senior trainees who wish to revise their anatomy and to fine tune their dissection skills and techniques.