Last March was held in Flanders the “ Day of Leuwen” organized effectively by P. , P. and J. . We met there Peter , csotcina.comedist cordial and inventive, who explained us the local organization and with modesty his professional route traced us.

. : Why these “Days of Traumatology of Leuwen”?

: They are the result of a certain development. In the time and in particular in the north of Europe, traumatology was dealt with by the general surgeons. But after the repair of the fractures, the latter started to pose total prostheses then to make . Thus in Leuwen, the bone surgery was made by general practitioners and csotcina.comedists, but it was established between them an unhealthy competition for the casualties. Therefore the management of this hospital required of Mr to cure and constitute a mixed surgical team it. We now have in Leuwen a unity of traumatology where general practitioners and csotcina.comedists work together. Thereafter, I thought that it would be convenient to organize Days of Traumatology in order to strengthen the implication of the csotcina.comedists in traumatology.

. : In can Belgium, any surgeon decide to make traumatology?

: Yes! In Belgium, are recognized officially only csotcina.comedy, the general surgery, the neurosurgery, urology and a training in plastic surgeon. Therefore, traumatology alone does not exist, just as the cardiac surgery, the vascular surgery and the visceral surgery. To speak figures, we annually make 4000 surgical interventions in the sector with approximately 30 to 35 visceral operations of . It is very little and it is the problem because the general surgeons do not have any more the practice of the visceral surgery. In Germany, by make only bone surgery, the called with the rescue the visceral surgeons in the event of need. Therefore in Germany their statute at amended summer and that maintaining the trauma specialists are csotcina.comedists.

. : How is the greeting organized of wounded in an university hospital?

: On our premises, but it is not the case in the remainder of Belgium, it is a team, which is composed by a&E doctor, which carries out the greeting. In the department of traumatology, according to the list of guard, they are either the general surgeons, or the csotcina.comedists who deal with the casualties. In the other hospitals, they are the anesthetists who receive the casualties and who contact then the specialists.

. : Do there exist Days of Traumatology in all Belgium or are this specific to Leuwen?

: That exists only here because of a specific structure. We have a separate unity of the hospital where only cold csotcina.comedy is made. Thus, the unity of traumatology is devoted to the fractures. In the other Belgian hospitals, it is the reverse. I.e. generally the cold program is made initially and only then traumatology. The latter is often discussed by the juniors. It is not ideal with my direction because osseous traumatology it is difficult.

. : How were you trained?

: I started in 1982 on the management of Mr Joseph who was very known in Leuwen as surgeon of the hip. He developed a method of hip prosthese to measure. It was an intricate intervention because it was necessary to carry out a moulding of the femoral diaphyseal silicone barrel then to make make in one hour or two an implant to measure. That did not go, for several reasons. The cost in time and #C7FFFF was high. Especially the stresses with the contact bone-implant were to be too high because it appeared on the radios of the edgings and clinically the patients had badly. But nevertheless, its attempt was honourable. It was a remarkable man, the first csotcina.comedist of Belgium, and it had at the beginning a training of general surgeon.

. : How long you remained with him during your formation?

: I remained three years at , as resident then I was in England in the south of in the years 85-86. The owner was . He was very famous and with more than 60 years, there remained enthusiastic like a child. It was also very honest. When I asked to him whether the success of its femoral stem were related to the fact that it had drawn a prosthesis which could be fixed secondarily in cement, i.e. the theory of “subsidence”, it answered me that the drawing of this stem had been the fruit of the chance and the need because in this time there, there were not many of other possibilities on the side of the manufacturers. Then when the idea proved to be good, an explanation should well, a posteriori, have been found! After England, I had a Maline formation close to Antwerp then one year in Antwerp. On the whole, I was six years old of csotcina.comedic formation.

. : When you finished your six years, which you like professional choice had?

: The period was more favorable than today and I had four possibilities. My wife being originating in Leuwen told me: “I was born here and I remain close to mom! ”. As it was the period when the project of a department of traumatology with a mixed team was concretized csotcina.comedists general practitioners and who I was really interested the processing of the fractures, I remained close to my beautiful mother. The beginnings were not easy. The first year, there were approximately 600 interventions with only one room for three surgeons seniors and you can imagine the voltages that created.

. : Which were the other possibilities?

: They was three proposals in private clinics. But, I preferred the hospital because initially I like traumatology and I am really handyman, then I wanted to make a university career, and finally I wanted to give pleasure with my wife.

. : How is made a university career?

: The system on our premises it is “ #D1FFFF ”. One begins research tasks and one must continue the scientific work. If not it is the gate. In fact, one really does not put to you with the gate, but if you made not scientific work, if you do not have a thesis, you do not have authority and thus not post of professor.

. : Who judges level?

: Each year, we are evaluated by a Commission. It is an ordinance of the community of Flanders which concluded from personal way: “it is to you well, you made good work or then, you not, that does not go and something should be done”. The objective of the Commission is not to support a type which posed 600 prostheses. Its role is to consider contribution scientific. But the problem it is that there is also a pressure of the hospital which tells: “it is quite beautiful the scientific studies, but it is necessary to operate nevertheless”. In short, it is complicated enough, but that goes and there are always candidates.

. : How long did that take to you to be an instructor?

: Ten years. I supported my thesis in 1987 and I had my appointment in 1998. I badly did not work in the field of the fractures of the tibia and the femur in particular on the . I like the .

. : What did you make on the of the tibia and the femur?

: I invented at the beginning a variety of the operative paragraph radiolucent of to lock the nails. I as developed a small framework of positioning as one places on an ordinary table and which acts as csotcina.comedic table. That goes very well for the tibia and the femur. At one time, we of much and they was very difficult, very hard to position the member. When I was resident it was me which was to align the leg during the intervention and therefore I imagined this framework of traction.

. : Why not use an csotcina.comedic table quite simply?

: When one starts with a laparotomy, it is not simple to change table then. In addition, I had a very painful mishap at a young very muscular type which had broken the femur. One had to fire on the table very strong and it developed one necroses rod. This catastrophe gave me to reflect and I tried to develop an operative paragraph which avoids this type of complication. I also built a system to rebuild the former cruciate by channel, a kind of sight. Then I developed of the screws perforated with a conduit to inject cement there. These screws were intended to carry out the best in particular held in certain fractures in the event of osteopenia.

. : You had not imagined anything for the femoral neck fractures?

: if, I imagined a preventive operative paragraph. It is a kind of umbrella, which I tested on corpses. In fact, one introduces by a trochanteric opening ankle with expansion in the neck of the healthy femur in order to prevent a fracture. Thus, in the event of femoral neck fracture, the opposite side little to be protected at the price from a simple intervention. Then eight years ago, I started with my “baby” whom I introduced to the congress, the hydraulic nail of lengthening.

. : You are very inventive…

: It is necessary to have hundred ideas so that only one succeeds. I also work on an operative paragraph which would make it possible to guide a basic current intensity on the cards of external fixer in order to prevent the infections. In theory, the germs do not like that. It seems that prevents the Staphylococcus aureus from manufacturing a . They are continuous currents of icro amps that one does not feel. The two modes of theoretical implementation of this current are either directly on the cards, or by a small support placed on the skin at the point of penetration of the card.

. : Which was the topic of your thesis?

: I sought the interest of the transplantation of the periosteum in the open fractures of the type 3b. I made a model of fracture in rabbit where silicone in the feature prevented the consolidation and or I tried to stimulate the consolidation using patch of periosteum. When the traumatism stripped the bone, the idea is to take the periosteum on the healthy slope, and to make use of it like a biological bandage. But in conclusion of my study, that does not improve the cure.

. : What think of the plates of locked screws placed into subcutaneous?

: It is rather me which poses them in the service and to be honest, that does not have only advantages. For the femurs, in comparison with the conventional blade-plate it is interesting because one will put it by an small incision. The problem it is the ablation of hardware. These plates are thick and they obstruct under the skin. But the screws are very difficult to remove and thus after having put the plate by an small incision, one is very often obliged to largely open to remove it. In short, one returns to the large cicatrice. We have a saying a little difficult to translate into French. He says that, no matter what one makes, one does not decrease the disadvantages; One nothing but does amend nature or move them of it towards another sector.

. : Is there a future for traumatology?

: Certainly, but it will be rather the traumatology of the elderly. However, whatever the development, my conviction it is that for the csotcina.comedist the processing of the fractures it is really the basis of the trade. After having acquired this basis, one can direct oneself towards the other fields.

. : What do you make separately the surgery?

: I am very handyman. My father was carpenter; he made roofs, windows. When I was small, we had a workshop where carpenters manufactured pieces of furniture, windows and, on vacation I gave a knack. Unfortunately, the workshop in the middle of the city and was surrounded by houses. More and more, goshawks people complained about the noise and the odors. Therefore my father unfortunately had to stop.

. : It is the origin of your vocation for csotcina.comedy?

: Can be! But to be honest, it is also after having made a training course in an csotcina.comedist who made only plasters. I was really impressed by the construction of the plasters. I adored to mould the plasters. I told myself:  “it is that which I want to do”. Therefore I began the surgery. But thereafter, I was interested in more sophisticated things.