The presence of so many eminent guests at the Symposia, organised by the SPO, confirms the role of the Polish paediatric orthopaedics in the world, similarly as the participation of Section members in various scientific congresses all over the world, not only with our presentations but also to moderate scientific sessions or deliver programmatic lectures.
At this time, eight (8) members of our Section are also in the European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (EPOS) (J. Czubak, M. Jóźwiak, P. Koczewski, T. Lejman, M. Napiontek, W. Marczyński, S. Snela and M. Synder), two are members of the Paediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) (T. Lejman and M. Napiontek) and Ass. Prof. Marek Jóźwiak is member of the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy. Our international activity is especially vivid during congresses organised by EPOS. We may be proud that, systematically, our presentations have been accepted, following competitions of applied reports with anonymous reviews .The number of our reports accepted for presentation at EPOS Congresses has been high enough to clearly distinguish our national – and still relatively young- group at this European Forum.
Members of the SPO are often invited to moderate scientific sessions or deliver lectures at significant scientific events (M. Napiontek, M. Synder, J. Czubak, M. Jóźwiak). Our Colleagues, Tomasz Karski and Marek Synder, are reviewers of papers submitted to publication in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics Part B and Marek Napiontek in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics – published in America.
The development of the SPO has been possible thanks to the great engagement and passion of all its members. Their activity has contributed to the enormous progress and development in paediatric orthopaedics, including – among others – the implementation of sonographic screening examinations as an early diagnostics of congenital hip joint dysplasia, the application of new techniques in the treatment of congenital talipes varus, children with cerebral palsy and residual dysplasia of the hip joint in adolescents.
In Poland, there are already six (6) clinics of paediatric orthopaedics (Lublin, Poznań, Zakopane, Szczecin, Łódź, Białystok). A special attention deserves the new paediatric ward of orthopaedics and traumatology, opened in Rzeszów 3 years ago at the District Hospital. This ward provides complex treatment to children with defects, malformations and traumas of the motor organs.
The systematic training of members of the Section and their active participation in high-rank congresses of paediatric orthopaedics all over the world give some authorisation to say that the Section of Paediatric Orthopaedics of the our Society is very well prepared to face the challenges which paediatric orthopaedists have to surmount now, as well as through subsequent years of the 21st Century.