Diagnosing knee pain has been used to be difficult. Contrast pneumoarthrography made it possible to indirectly view the internal meniscal and ligament structures of the knee and was a precursor of magnetic resonance imaging. Specialized groups began to emerge in the Department of Orthopedics of the Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP) and Dr. Marco Amatuzzi, whose interest at that time was in the pathology of the feet, began to take an interest in pneumoarthrography. Meanwhile, I was beginning my life in Orthopedics as an attending physician in the Institute of Orthopedics of FMUSP. The Knee Group of the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology (IOT) started to meet on Thursday evenings, which was our on-duty day in the emergency service, and on Friday mornings, we attended patients who came seeking pneumoarthrography and diagnostic clarification of knee diseases, under Amatuzzi's leadership and guidance.
On Thursday evenings, we read and discussed studies that Amatuzzi had selected and summarized onto record cards for quick consultation. Over the years, colleagues from other hospitals started to visit the IOT, which became too small for the meetings and became restricted to visits by external patients. The meetings then started to be held in Amatuzzi's consultation office. The Knee Group of IOT-USP gave courses that were greatly sought after, until it was decided to found the Brazilian Society of Knee Surgery (Sociedade Brasileira de Cirurgia do Joelho, SBCJ), in August 1983.
At a meeting sponsored by a laboratory, which was held in a room at the Hotel Maksoud Plaza in São Paulo, Marco Amatuzzi founded the SBCJ.
The meetings of the Knee Group continued and still exist today within the IOT, while the SBCJ developed and went beyond the limits of the IOT to reach the world.
Many trainees attended knees services that were initially accredited and today are certified, in order to learn the concepts of knee pathology.
The exchanges of trainees and the frequent visits created ties of friendship among the various members of the SBCJ, which are its mark. Its congresses seem to like family birthday parties, in which meetings with people who we hold dear are commemorated.
At national level, we have held many congresses, which have become known for their success, and traditional regional courses, among which some have now gone beyond their tenth appearance.
High-quality presentations, which have always been a mark of the SBCJ's members, have become established as standard and this is always maintained and refined. Setting an example is the best way to educate.
Fees or annual dues have never been charged. Belonging to the SBCJ is an honor; we have never had an election, since the boards of directors have always been chosen by consensus and negotiation.
Disputes have occurred, and there have been a fair few of them, but they have never interfered with the progress of the Society, which has always been above any personal problems.
Within the board of the SBOT, the participation of SBCJ members is very significant, given that there have already been five presidents of the SBCJ who governed the SBOT admirably and there will probably be others in the future.
The SBCJ has established solid international relationships through the intermediation of its members, and these have added to the sustainability of its structure of continuing medical education.
We have brought here Jack Hughston, Henry Dejour, John Insall, Frank Noyes, James Andrews, Lamberto Perujia and many others, this has allowed us to expand our field of knowledge. Through visits to their services, we have been able to bring in new techniques and internationalize our members. Our international relationships have been increasing and today we know about all the major centers of knee surgery worldwide and are known about in these centers.We have participated in many courses and international congresses as invited guests and as active members.
We founded and presided over the first directorate of the Latin American Society of Knee Arthroscopy and Sports Traumatology (Sociedad Latinoamericana de Artroscopia Rodilla y Traumatología Deportiva, SLARD). We have solid contacts with the Lyon Group, with which we organize study days every two years; the next one will be in Curitiba in 2014. At the last event, which was held in 2012, we were guests in Lyon, with the honor of being an international speaker.
We were founders, as active members, of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopedic Sports Medicine (ISAKOS), which held its last congress in Brazil.Today, ISAKOS is presided over by Moyses Cohen, one of our former presidents.
I am sure that right now there will be an SBCJ member undergoing training somewhere around the orthopedics world, making contacts and seeking new paths.
Diagnosing knee pain continues to be difficult and we are continuing to try to understand it. The difference is that we are now joined together through a great friendship spanning 30 years, which is without doubt the secret of this idea that was successful.
The RBO, with the backing of its associate editors, pays homage to the SBCJ by publishing this issue, which only contains studies on the knee that were awaiting publication after approval by the journal's editorial body.
Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
Sept-Oct 2013
