April 25, 2011
School of Medicine, Kochi
Dr. Bindu S. and Dr. Prashant M. Kedari of the Department of Pediatric Surgery at Amrita School of Medicine made their alma mater proud by winning the first prize in an All India Quiz Competition in Pediatric Surgery.
The competition was conducted as part of the Pediatric Surgery Update 2011 at Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi.
The event saw a participation of 15 teams from the best medical institutions in the country, including Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore; Christian Medical College, Vellore; Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi and Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi.
The vast experience the two Amrita doctors gained while serving in the Amrita Department of Pediatric Surgery helped them answer the questions posed to them.
The quiz covered almost all topics in pediatric surgery.
“What does the abbreviation SCIWORA stand for?” the Amrita doctors were asked.
“Spinal cord injury without radiologic abnormality,” they replied.
“Such cases may present with injuries to the spinal cord in the absence of radiological evidence of injury,” noted Dr. Prashant. “Pang and Wilberger, the world-famous neurosurgeons, introduced the acronym SCIWORA in 1982, the time before MRI studies became available.”
Next the doctors were shown photographs of two rare syndromes. They were precise in their identification of the respective syndromes as Shah Waardenburg Syndrome and Beckwith Weidmann Syndrome. They had treated such cases in Amrita.
“Inherited as a genetic trait, Shah Waardenburg Syndrome clinically manifests with pigmentary anomalies and congenital megacolon,” answered the doctors. “On the other hand, Beckwith Weidmann Syndrome is a growth disorder present from birth that causes large body size, large organs and other symptoms.”
“Even though some questions tested textbook concepts, we could answer a majority of the questions asked, thanks to our experience in the department,” said Dr. Bindu.
After the rather competitive preliminary rounds, only four teams made it to the finals. In the finals, the Amrita team faced stiff competition from candidates of Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.
The tie-breaker showed an x-ray depicting a rare disease that both teams were asked to identify.
“Morgagni’s Hernia,” the Amrita doctors easily answered. They won the competition, receiving merit certificates and prizes.
“We have no words to express our gratitude for the guidance and support we received from our department especially from our mentor, Dr. Mohan Abraham,” they said. “We offer our accolades to him, as a part of our regards, for his teaching, his guidance and support.”
