Message from APHS2016 Chair
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
On behalf of the organizing committee, it is a great honor to invite you to attend the 12th Asia Pacific Hernia Society Congress (APHS2016) in conjunction with the 14th Congress of Japanese Hernia Society (JHS2016), the 9th Japan Laparoscopic Hernia Surgical Meeting and Japanese Study Group of LPEC. I would like to extend my warmest welcome to you and invite all of you to Tokyo, Japan on Oct. 27-29, 2016.
The “HERNIA WEEK 2016” begins with the APHS2016 from October 27 to 28. Moreover, the 9th Japan Laparoscopic Hernia Surgical Meeting, and the Japanese Study Group of LPEC will be jointly held at Tokyo Dome Hotel on October 27 with the JHS2016 between October 27 and 29. Although it is sad to announce that we have to cancel the APHS Pre-Congress on October 26 since the live surgery has been strictly prohibited in Japan because of regulation of surgeons, as Secretary General of APHS, I am happy and honored to be able to finally invite APHS to Japan this year.
APHS, which was founded by Dr. P. Chowbey from India and Dr. D. Lomanto from Singapore (both specialists in laparoscopic surgery) in 2004, is an umbrella organization that conducts international joint research. It aims at providing uniform hernia treatment with the highest standards in Asian countries, where facing at different levels of medical care and economic, religious, ethnic, and disparities are present.
At the time the APHS was founded, there were 16 founding members from 8 countries (4 from India, 2 from Singapore, 1 from Malaysia, 1 from Indonesia, 1 from Australia, 4 from Hong Kong (China), 1 from the Philippines, and 2 from Japan). The 1st International Congress was held in Malaysia in 2005. The APHS has turned to Europe and the United States, as well as Asian countries, welcoming J.B. Flament (France), J.H. Alexandre (France), V. Shumpelick (Germany), R. Bittner (Germany), R.J. Fitzgibbons (U.S.A.), G. Campanelli (Italy), M. Miserez (Belgium), and T. Heniford (U.S.A.) as honorary members and has also developed meaningful interactions and relationship with the European Hernia Society (EHS) and the American Hernia Society (AHS)
Dr. Chowbey and Dr. Ma (China) from APHS were involved as editing committee members for “Hernia”, which is an in-house magazine of EHS and AHS that was first published in 1997, and in 2016 “Hernia” became the official in-house magazine of APHS.
In addition, “International Guidelines for Treatment of Groin Hernia in Adult Patients,” which were jointly created by members of EHS, AHS, APHS, Australasian Hernia Society, and Afro Middle East Hernia Society (AMEHS), are planned to be released in 2016.
The Japanese Hernia Study Group (JHSG) was launched in 2003, with around 250 members, as an opportunity for discussions aiming for development of research and surgeries for ventral hernias. Its congresses were conducted every year, and it became the Japanese Hernia Society in 2008.
Holding an APHS congress in Japan, which has two APHS founding members, has been strongly requested at the board meetings every year since 2010. However, JHS was inexperienced, and unfortunately the greatness and importance of APHS were not understood by most JHS members at that time and it was not possible to welcome people from other Asian countries. With a significant growth of over 1,100 members, the organization became more attractive. In 2014, I became an executive member of APHS; in November 2015, I took on the position of Secretary General of APHS; and JHS is now extremely happy and honored to be able to finally invite APHS to Japan in 2016.
In Japan, there are many things to present to the world with pride, such as operative procedures and delicate procedures based on understanding of detailed membrane dissection, JHS hernia classifications, and the JHS Groin Hernia Treatment Guidelines 2015. However, Japanese people tend to be inhibited about making presentations in English at international conferences, and efforts to do things such as transmitting evidence are still insufficient.
In addition, according to research by the Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery (cases between 2012 and 2013), unfortunately it was revealed that in contrast to the 1-1.6% recurrence rate after the tension-free repair through anterior approach, it is 4% with TAPP repair and 5% with TEP repair, which means that there is significant room for improvement of results after laparoscopic surgery.
In Japan, it has also become very common to conduct laparoscopic surgery for abdominal incisional hernias. However, there are still unresolved points that remain, such as questions concerning surgical indications and follow-ups, the question of whether laparoscopic surgery is really better than open surgery, the question of whether suture closure should be conducted for hernia orifices during laparoscopic repair, the question of what kind of mesh is appropriate, and questions concerning surgery for cases that have a high risk of infection.
Under the theme “Let’s Open the Door to the International Hernia World”, this Joint Congress provides an opportunity to learn about hernia diseases and to share knowledge and ideas with other countries’ experts.
I hope that doctors from many Asian countries will participate in this congress with their abundant experiences, and discuss the perspectives and techniques of Japanese surgeons, in order to enhance communication and collaboration within all of us, and to deliver mutual benefits to the people in the Asian Pacific region.
As APHS Ex-president Dr. Sathien Tumtavitikul (Thailand) always mentioned, “For those whose native language are not English, don’t consider English as a barrier, let’s go for it!”
As you know, Tokyo is one of the world’s safest and cleanest international modern cities.
Transportation within Tokyo is convenient, and it is also possible to visit famous places such as Kyoto and Nikko. I am sure that you will also enjoy Japanese cuisine. Since October in Japan is the best season to visit when temperatures and the weather are very nice, it is optimal for travelers to enjoy beautiful colored leaves.
My colleagues and I are looking forward to meeting you in Tokyo, Japan and hope everyone will enjoy this academic event.
With warmest regards,
Shintaro Sakurai M.D.
Secretary General of Asia Pacific Hernia Society
President of Japanese Hernia Society
St. Luke’s International Hospital, Japan,
Chief of Hernia Center
Message from APHS President
It is with great pleasure that I invite you to the 12th International Congress of Asia Pacific Hernia Society to be held in Tokyo between 27-28 October 2016.
The Annual International Congress of APHS is the showpiece event of APHS that combines state of art hernia academics with lively and engaging social events. It is a time to bond with old friends, make new friends and experience local sights and sounds in the setting of an intensive, stimulating hernia meeting. The Congress shall showcase local and regional expertise and also present contemporary best hernia practices based on current evidence.
The Organizing Chairman of 12th APHS is Dr. Shintaro Sakurai, a surgeon who dons several hats and therefore has to perform different roles. Dr Sakurai is the present Secretary General of APHS and also President of Japanese hernia society .He is therefore optimally placed to lead the APHS Congress in Tokyo. The 12th APHS Congress would be held in conjunction with the 14th Annual Congress of Japanese Hernia society, the 9th Japan Laparoscopic hernia surgical meeting and Japanese study group of LPEC .It is planned to have several combined sessions with the Japanese hernia societies and this would lead to a fruitful exchange of ideas, innovation and information.
I believe October is a great month to visit Japan to witness the marvel of Tokyo and also the breathtaking countryside. I know that Dr. Shintaro Sakurai and his colleagues are working hard and taking painstaking efforts to ensure that this meeting is memorable and a landmark event in the annals of APHS Congresses.
I look forward to seeing all of you and welcome you to Tokyo. Do come and partake of the several delights that this charming and hospitable land has to offer.
Yours truly,
Anil Sharma
MS, FICS, FRCS (Edin), FRCS (Eng)
President- Asia Pacific Hernia Society (APHS)
Examiner and Clinical Tutor - Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCS Ed)
Associate Editor - Indian Journal of Surgery (IJS)
Senior Consultant Surgeon
Max Institute of Minimal Access, Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery
Max Healthcare, Saket, New Delhi, India
