From FAI to DDHThe Olympic Path to Joint Preservation
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Athens, Greece
Welcome and Introduction
Dear Colleagues,
It is our pleasure to welcome you to the ESSKA Hip Focus Meeting, taking place at the NJV Athens Plaza in Athens, Greece, on 15–16 April 2027, dedicated to “Hip Injuries in Athletes: From FAI to DDH – The Olympic Path to Joint Preservation.”
Managing hip injuries in athletes requires us to look beyond a single diagnosis or surgical technique. Understanding the interaction between joint morphology, soft-tissue pathology, sporting demands and rehabilitation is essential to making informed treatment decisions. Our aim is to bring these perspectives together in a focused meeting that connects scientific evidence with the challenges of everyday clinical practice.
The programme will explore femoroacetabular impingement, developmental dysplasia of the hip and the structural borderline cases that challenge our treatment choices. We will also address groin and extra-articular injuries, rehabilitation and return to sport, alongside the management of failed hip preservation and the boundaries between revision, reconstruction and arthroplasty. Dedicated discussions will examine emerging technologies, the evidence behind innovation and the training of future hip preservation surgeons.
Active participation will be at the heart of the meeting. Short, focused presentations will set the scene for clinical cases, audience voting and panel debate, with approximately half of each scientific session devoted to discussion. Together with an international faculty, you will work through cases step by step, consider alternative strategies and revisit decisions as new information and perspectives emerge.
We want participants to leave with a clearer understanding of both what to do and why: when to intervene, when to reconsider a diagnosis, how to assess readiness to return to sport and where the limits of joint preservation lie.
We invite orthopaedic surgeons, sports medicine physicians, physiotherapists and colleagues involved in the care of athletes to contribute their experience and questions. Your participation will be central to an open and constructive exchange, supporting our shared goal of preserving hip function and enabling a safe, sustainable return to activity.
We look forward to welcoming you to Athens in April 2027.
The programme
FAI
Which morphology matters in pivoting sports, labral repair or reconstruction, the capsule, and cartilage damage in the athlete.
Dysplasia
Borderline dysplasia, imaging structural instability, PAO in active patients, and arthroscopy, osteotomy or combined treatment.
Return to sport
Rehabilitation after hip preservation surgery, functional testing, and deciding when to return to training, sport and performance.
Venue
On Syntagma Square in central Athens, close to Syntagma metro station, with convenient connections to Athens International Airport and across the city.
Registration opens 13 October 2026
A day and a half on hip injuries in athletes, from FAI to DDH, with short focused presentations and around half of each session given to case discussion.
until the early rate closes on 28 February 2027
ESSKA Hip Focus Meeting
Hip injuries in athletes, from FAI to DDH: the Olympic path to joint preservation. Provisional programme.
Scientific programme
Nothing in this day matches that search.
DiscussionAbout 32 minutes of interactive case discussion, with stepwise cases, audience voting and re-voting after discussion. Panel: Filippo Randelli, Baris Kocaoglu, Safa Gursoy, Ali Bajwa and Nicolas Bonin.
DiscussionAbout 32 minutes of multidisciplinary case discussion. Panel: Per Holmich, Bruno Capurro, Marc Tey Pons, Robert Prill and Suzanne Huurman.
DiscussionAbout 32 minutes of interactive structural-decision cases, with votes on arthroscopy, PAO, osteotomy, combined treatment or no surgery. Panel: Michael Wettstein, a musculoskeletal radiologist, Sufian S. Ahmad, Ajay Malviya and Panos Christofilopoulos.
DiscussionAbout 32 minutes of return-to-sport cases, with audience votes on readiness to train, compete or delay, and on missing criteria. Panel: Suzanne Huurman, Francesco Della Villa, Robert Prill, Stefano Di Paolo and Lior Laver.
DiscussionAbout 34 minutes of evidence-versus-innovation case discussion. Panel: Laura de Girolamo, Klemen Strazar, Matti Seppanen, Vikas Khanduja and Jakub Kautzner.
DiscussionTwo complex cases of about 30 minutes each: vote, panel debate, audience questions, re-vote, then the actual treatment and outcome. Panel: Vikas Khanduja, Ajay Malviya, Baris Kocaoglu, Michael Wettstein, Filippo Randelli, Panos Christofilopoulos and Elefterios Tsiridis.
DiscussionModerated research discussion. Panel: Andre Sarmento, Laura de Girolamo, Filippo Randelli, Sufian S. Ahmad and Vikas Khanduja.
DiscussionAbout 32 minutes of faculty discussion, with votes on competencies and assessment standards. Panel: Jacek Mazek, Athanasios Papavasiliou, Daniel Perez-Prieto, Oliver Marin-Pena, Vikas Khanduja and Andre Sarmento.
DiscussionAbout 32 minutes of difficult-case discussion, with votes on revision arthroscopy, PAO, osteotomy, combined reconstruction or THA. Panel: Nicolas Bonin, Jacek Mazek, Panos Christofilopoulos, Daniel Haverkamp, Ajay Malviya and Elefterios Tsiridis.
Provisional programme. Sessions, talks and faculty may change, and remain subject to invitation and confirmation.
Faculty
Faculty as currently planned, subject to invitation and confirmation.
ESSKA Hip Focus Meeting
NJV Athens Plaza, Syntagma Square, Athens.
The venue
The ESSKA Hip Focus Meeting will take place on 15–16 April 2027 at NJV Athens Plaza, in the Pacific I & II meeting rooms. Located on Syntagma Square in central Athens, the hotel is close to Syntagma metro station, providing convenient connections to Athens International Airport and other parts of the city.
Conference area
The scientific programme will be held in the Pacific I & II meeting rooms, within the hotel’s conference area. These rooms will host the expert presentations, interactive case discussions and audience exchanges throughout the meeting.
Accommodation
A limited number of rooms has been reserved at NJV Athens Plaza at a preferred rate for participants attending the ESSKA Hip Focus Meeting.
Participants will be able to book directly through a dedicated booking link, which will be published on this website in October 2026, when meeting registration opens. Rooms at the preferred rate will be subject to availability. Rates, booking conditions and cancellation terms will be available through the booking link.
How to get there
From Athens International Airport to the hotel by metro.
Take Metro Line 3 (Blue Line) towards Dimotiko Theatro and get off at Syntagma. The hotel is a short walk from the station, on Syntagma Square.
Plan this route in Google MapsThe X95 Airport Express bus connects Athens International Airport with Syntagma Square. From the bus terminus, walk across the square to the hotel.
Check airport public transport connectionsTravel directly to the hotel and give the destination NJV Athens Plaza, Syntagma Square, 2 Vasileos Georgiou A’ Street. Journey times depend on traffic.
Open in Google MapsSyntagma station is served by Metro Lines 2 and 3, making the venue accessible from across the city.
View Syntagma station informationPlease check transport routes and timetables before travelling.
ESSKA Hip Focus Meeting
Preliminary fees, VAT included. Registration opens on 13 October 2026.
Fees
Preliminary fees, in euro, VAT included
| Category | Early | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Hip Section members | €200 | €230 |
| ESSKA members | €250 | €280 |
| ESSKA non-members | €320 | €360 |
| Residents and fellows | €150 | €170 |
| Industry | €400 | €500 |
Fees are preliminary and may change. All registration fees include VAT. What the fee includes and the cancellation terms will be published here.
Book your place
The early rate applies from the first day of registration until 28 February 2027. The link to register will appear here when registration opens.
Opens 13 October 2026Accommodation
A limited number of rooms has been reserved at NJV Athens Plaza at a preferred rate. The booking link will be published in October 2026, when registration opens.
Venue and accommodation →
ESSKA Hip Focus Meeting
Sponsorship and partnership opportunities at the meeting.
Sponsorship and partnership
We have a range of sponsorship opportunities available. The packages are set out below; to discuss them, please contact our Corporate Relations Manager.
Compliance
This meeting has been assessed as compliant with the MedTech Europe Code of Ethical Business Practice through the Conference Vetting System (CVS).
Assessed as compliant · CVS
Sponsorship opportunities
Focus Meeting Partner
Max. 3 partners€15,000 + VAT
A high-visibility partnership combining education, onsite presence and targeted digital promotion.
À la carte
€2,500
A simple, high-traffic presence throughout coffee and lunch networking.
€2,000
Maximum of five posts.
€10,000 + VAT and production costs
To be confirmed: subject to the scientific programme, technical feasibility and approval.
Working proposal. Final format subject to scientific and MedTech approval, and availability.
ESSKA Focus Meeting
For sponsorship, partnership and meeting-related enquiries, write to the person who handles your question.
Send a message
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