2024 Hong Kong Movement Disorder Society meeting draws record attendance

The 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Hong Kong Movement Disorder Society was September 14, 2024 in Kowloon, Hong Kong. This marked the first full physical annual scientific meeting on movement disorders since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, and it was with the aim of bringing everyone, local and around the world, together again to exchange ideas, meet new friends, and renew old relationships that the organizing committee worked tirelessly to make this event happen. 

The result did not disappoint. There was a record number of 105 participants, including neurologists, neurosurgeons, geriatricians, and pediatricians who attended the meeting. The day was filled with fruitful interactions and discussions with world-renowned speakers from Asia, Europe, and North America on a wide range of topics including surgical treatment of Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor, pediatric movement disorders, neuroimaging in movement disorders, and updates in pharmacological treatments for Parkinson’s disease.

The program included:

• MR-guided focused ultrasound treatment for Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor (Ling Li, China; Jin Woo Chang, Korea)

• Management of pediatric intractable movement disorders (Sean Pierre Lin, UK) 

• Neuroimaging in movement disorders (Antonio Strafella, Canada) 

• Clinical implications of glutamate in Parkinson’s disease concerning motor symptoms and complications (Javier Pagonabarraga, Spain) 

• A comprehensive approach to optimizing management of Parkinson’s disease (Germaine Chan, Hong Kong) 

The morning sessions focused on the utilization of MRI-guided focused ultrasound in treating Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor. Dr. Ling Li from China and Professor Jin Woo Chang from Korea shared their extensive experiences and findings from recent research on this technique in Asian patients, giving much appreciated advice and guidance to local neurologists and neurosurgeons as we prepared for our first cases to undergo this procedure in the last quarter of 2024. In the second part of the morning session, Dr. Sean Pierre Lin from the UK discussed the pathophysiology of dystonia in children, including case illustrations and management strategies involving neuromodulation in difficult cases. His experience and insights were highly valued by local pediatricians. 

In the afternoon, participants learned from Professor Antonio Strafella, Canada, about the rationale for choosing the most suitable imaging modalities, as well as advanced molecular imaging techniques, including synaptic density PET and tau PET, to better understand the pathology and diagnosis of various Parkinsonian syndromes. The lunch symposium was given by Dr. Javier Pagonabarraga from Spain, who shared his experience and real-world evidence of the latest MAOB inhibitor in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Lastly, Dr. Germaine Chan from Hong Kong presented a comprehensive overview of pharmacological treatments for Parkinson’s disease, along with practical tips for drug titration. 

Overall, the meeting was an eye-opening experience for participants, featuring enlightening talks and fruitful discussions with experts from around the world. With the success of this meeting, the Hong Kong Movement Disorder Society strives to continue to have events that bring local and international experts together to advance knowledge and promote research in movement disorders in Hong Kong.