Participation in the 2025 KSES – TSSES Exchange Travelling Fellowship program

On October 7, we began our week-long Tokyo itinerary with a meeting with Dr. Itoigawa of Juntendo University. We visited Tokyo Kita Medical Center, where Dr. Tomoyuki Mochizuki, renowned for rotator cuff footprint research, works. At Showa University, I revisited with Dr. Nishinaka for surgery observations and case discussions. We also visited Tokyo Yamamoto Hospital to observe surgeries with the esteemed Dr. Sugaya and concluded our Tokyo visit with an intensive day at Funabashi Orthopaedic Hospital, observing multiple surgeries until late evening. Before heading to Kyushu, we enjoyed a Tokyo Bay cruise dinner with Dr. Nori.

Our Kyushu visit began in Kagoshima, where we met Prof. Taniguchi of Kagoshima University and observed the surface-holding technique for rotator cuff repair. In Kumamoto, we visited Dr. Kitamura, observed the mini-open Bristow technique, and explored Kumamoto Castle. Finally, in Fukuoka, we spent two days with Prof. Teruaki Izaki and Dr. Miyake, observing advanced rotator cuff repair techniques and meeting Dr. Shibata, a respected elder in the Japanese shoulder society.

In Kyoto, the venue of the 2024 Japan Shoulder Society (JSS) meeting, we stayed for eight days, making day trips to Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe. Highlights included observing A/S Bristow procedures by Dr. Tuchiya of Meitetsu Hospital and superior capsular reconstruction with Prof. Teru Mihata in Osaka. At Kobe University, we participated in a conference with their orthopaedic team. During the JSS meeting, I presented alongside Prof. Moon Joon-kyu and connected with Japanese and Korean colleagues.

After Kyoto, we visited Sapporo, observing joint replacement surgeries with Dr. Sugi of Sapporo University and Hokkaido University. We also had the honor of meeting Dr. Fukuda for insightful discussions. Our final destination was Sendai, where we observed reverse shoulder arthroplasty and rotator cuff repair with Dr. Yamamoto of Tohoku University. We concluded with a memorable dinner with the legendary Dr. Itoi.

This month-long fellowship was an invaluable opportunity to build strong ties with Japanese colleagues, which I aim to leverage for the global advancement of the Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society. I deeply appreciate the support of our society’s leadership and extend my gratitude to Prof. Moon Joon-kyu for his guidance and encouragement throughout this journey.

Young-min Noh
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Busan Medical Center, Busan, Korea.