Some conferences you attend. Others you work through, and ISSHCON 2026 was one of those. At the 49th Annual Conference of the Indian Society for Surgery of the Hand in New Town, Kolkata (2nd to 4th October), I taught, debated, chaired and presented, all within three days.
Starting with the elbow

My conference began with a faculty role in the Total Elbow Arthroplasty workshop. Elbow replacement leaves little room for error. Implant alignment, soft tissue balance and patient selection decide whether a patient gets a pain-free, functional elbow. Teaching it hands-on is the best way to pass those details on.
The debate: “I rely on MRI only for operating decision making in TFCC tears”
I spoke against the motion, and my argument was built on one word: only. MRI is a valuable investigation, but no single parameter should ever be the only basis for deciding on surgery. Not MRI, not the examination, not even arthroscopy in isolation. The history, the clinical findings, the demands of the patient’s work or sport, and the imaging all have to be read together. A tear on a scan is not always the source of pain, and a reassuring scan does not rule out a significant injury. We treat the patient, not the image.
Chairing the DRUJ and scaphoid sessions
I chaired the DRUJ session on Saturday and the scaphoid session on Sunday morning. Both areas still divide opinion, from DRUJ instability and reconstruction to scaphoid fracture and nonunion management. The best moments came from the audience questions, where experienced surgeons disagreed politely and learned from each other.
The arthroscopic Feldon procedure
My last session was in the wrist and smaller joints arthroscopy block, where I spoke on the arthroscopic Feldon procedure for ulnar impaction. The key message is that it is minimally invasive. Working through small portals, we resect the distal ulna precisely, with less soft tissue disruption than open surgery. Associated TFCC pathology can be addressed in the same sitting.
Why meetings like this matter
Surgical practice moves forward through debate, shared experience and honest questioning of our own habits. Thank you to the ISSHCON 2026 organising team for a well-run meeting, and to every delegate and faculty member who made the sessions lively.