17 April 2025 saw the holding of the scientific-practical conference “CURRENT ISSUES IN JOINT AND SPINE SURGERY” in a hybrid format (offline and online) at the premises of the Municipal Multidisciplinary Hospital No. 18 of Kharkiv City Council, with around 100 participants in attendance.

The conference was opened by the Head of the Kharkiv Regional Branch of the All-Ukrainian Association of Orthopaedic Traumatologists (UAOT), Professor Volodymyr Akymovych Filipenko, who expressed his gratitude to the Director of MMH No. 18, PhD in Medicine Olha Oleksandrivna Romanenko, and the Head of the Traumatology Department, Doctor of Medical Sciences Artem Hennadiyovych Skidanov, for agreeing to host the next meeting of the Branch (a scientific-practical conference) at their hospital.

The Head of the Branch noted that throughout the years of this war, we had not once gathered at hospitals in the city of Kharkiv, and he is confident that we will meet more often in the city’s hospitals moving forward, as it is a tradition we must uphold. He also stressed the relevance of the conference topic, given that joint replacement surgeries are becoming more widespread, supported by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, which unfortunately may also lead to an increase in complications — a matter that must be discussed repeatedly.

The hospital’s Director, PhD in Medicine Olha Oleksandrivna Romanenko, welcomed the participants and wished them fruitful work, inspiration, and new knowledge. She also presented a short video to introduce the work of the Traumatology Department of MMH No. 18. She noted with pride that they live and work in Kharkiv during these difficult times for all of us.

The first presentation was dedicated to Prof. Karl Fedorovych Waegner, the founder of the Medical-Mechanical Institute in 1907 (now the State Institution “Sytenko Institute of Spine and Joint Pathology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine”) and its first director, who led it until 1926 — in line with our tradition of honouring our forebears and in accordance with Plato’s quote, “He who does not know his past has no future.” In December 2024, K.F. Wegner would have turned 160 — a founding figure of Ukrainian orthopaedics and traumatology. His life and professional path were highlighted in a presentation by the Head of the Scientific and Organisational Department of the Institute, Prof. Volodymyr Oleksiiovych Tankut.

Doctor of Medical Sciences Artem Hennadiyovych Skidanov, as Head of the Traumatology Department, expressed his gratitude to all participants who gathered in the hall and joined online. He also presented a report titled “Features of Transpedicular Fixation of Vertebrae under Osteoporotic Conditions”, which addresses the issue of critical vertebral bone mass loss in cases of osteoporotic compression fractures. In most of the presented clinical cases, patients came under the care of trauma surgeons or neurologists immediately after injury. However, the injuries were often treated as standard compression fractures of the vertebrae, without consideration for the condition of the bone tissue — which led to catastrophic consequences.

This was followed by six presentations delivered by staff from the Joint Pathology Department and the Department of Orthopaedic Arthrology and Endoprosthetics of the State Institution “Sytenko Institute of Spine and Joint Pathology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine”, which addressed issues, features, and complications in hip joint replacement surgery. Presentations, including recommendations and key aspects of preoperative preparation for endoprosthetic surgery, as well as solutions to problems with long-term postoperative outcomes, were delivered by: the Head of the Joint Pathology Department, Professor Volodymyr Akymovych Filipenko; the Head of the Department of Orthopaedic Arthrology and Endoprosthetics, PhD in Medicine Oleksii Polikarpovych Marushchak; and staff members Doctor of Medical Sciences Anatolii Ivanovych Zhygun, PhD Zorik Arutyunovych Arutyunian, and orthopaedic trauma surgeons Yevhen Vitaliiovych Olinkevych and Lidiia Oleksandrivna Mykhailenko.

After the conclusion of the conference, discussion of the results continued informally over a buffet reception in the foyer.