2026 China-Switzerland Sports Medicine Hip Preservation Forum Held in Shanghai

The 2026 China-Switzerland Sports Medicine Hip Preservation Forum took place in Shanghai on September 18, 2026. Professor Moritz Tannast of Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Switzerland, visited the Department of Sports Medicine at Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. He joined the department and hip preservation specialists from across China to discuss surgical techniques, clinical practice, research collaboration and professional training.

Professor Tannast is Director of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology at Inselspital. His clinical and research work in hip preservation includes developmental dysplasia of the hip, femoroacetabular impingement syndrome, acetabular labral injuries and artificial intelligence-assisted preoperative planning.

Bern is an important birthplace of modern hip preservation surgery. Professor Reinhold Ganz and his team developed the Bernese periacetabular osteotomy (PAO), also known as the Ganz osteotomy, and surgical hip dislocation techniques there, laying important foundations for the field.

Minimally invasive hip arthroscopy and open procedures such as osteotomies around the hip are complementary approaches to hip preservation. Led by a sports medicine department, the forum brought together specialists in open hip preservation surgery to exchange perspectives across these approaches.

During the morning, Professor Tannast and the team led by Professor Hui Cheng, Deputy Director of Sports Medicine at the northern campus of Shanghai General Hospital, performed a hip preservation demonstration operation. Professor Tannast explained surgical approach planning, key intraoperative steps and protection of long-term function.

The joint operation provided an opportunity for Chinese and Swiss specialists to exchange clinical experience and offer practical teaching to the observing physicians, connecting hip preservation concepts with clinical practice.

At 11 a.m., the Chinese and Swiss teams held a research collaboration meeting on clinical research priorities, multicentre studies, joint training of young clinicians and researchers, and translation of technical advances into practice. They reached a preliminary understanding on developing long-term academic exchanges and reciprocal visiting programmes, with plans to advance clinical and translational research collaboration.

The afternoon academic programme opened with a ceremony chaired by Professor Jiwu Chen, Director of Sports Medicine at Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.

Professor Tannast joined Professor Hong Zhang of the Fourth Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital and Professor Xiaodong Chen of Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, in leading the academic discussion. More than ten hip preservation specialists from hospitals across China participated as discussants.

Professor Hui Cheng chaired the case discussions. Five cases covered adolescent and adult patients, structural abnormalities and sports injuries:

Case 1: Hip subluxation with formation of a false acetabulum. Presenter: Chunfeng Song.

Case 2: Residual deformity after childhood surgery for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Presenter: Weihan Yu.

Case 3: Management of coxa plana in a patient with high sporting demands. Presenter: Xing Zhou.

Case 4: Treatment of an acetabular labral injury in a dancer. Presenter: Xinyi Chen.

Case 5: Borderline hip dysplasia in a patient over 40: arthroscopy or osteotomy? Presenter: Lubing Cai.

After each presentation, the specialists discussed diagnostic reasoning, operative planning, complication prevention and long-term prognosis, drawing on clinical experience in China and internationally to consider different management strategies.

Professors Tannast, Hong Zhang and Xiaodong Chen delivered closing remarks, reviewing the main discussion points and considering the development of minimally invasive and individualized hip preservation care.

The Department of Sports Medicine at Shanghai General Hospital combines hip arthroscopy with open hip preservation techniques. Department Director Professor Jiwu Chen was among the early practitioners of hip arthroscopy in China, while Professor Hui Cheng, Deputy Director at the northern campus, specializes in open hip preservation surgery. The department is developing a sports medicine hip preservation centre.

Building on the forum, the department plans to deepen exchanges with Inselspital and other international institutions. Its focus will remain on clinical needs, key technical and scientific questions in hip preservation, and the integration of clinical practice, technical innovation and translational research to strengthen care and international collaboration.