Vasco Mascarenhas, the coordinator of the Unit of Musculoskeletal Imaging from Hospital da Luz Lisboa, concluded last September 28 his doctorate degree in Medicine (Clinical Research), at the Faculty of Medical Sciences (Nova Medical School), Universidade Nova de Lisboa. In his thesis, which gained the unanimous approval of the jury, with praise and distinction, the doctor did a research on the femoroacetabular impingement , where he presents pioneer data at world level, including the finding, description and analysis of new data on the prevalence of anomalous morphologies in the hip of young individuals. Entitled “Hip deformities and femoroacetabular impingement”, the research by Vasco Mascarenhas was conducted at Hospital da Luz and in collaboration with other centres, European and non-European. For his studies, the radiologist (in the centre, in the photo above) worked on participants and patients followed at Hospital da Luz, unit of reference in hip preservation surgery. The jury concluded that the thesis by Vasco Mascarenhas “has significant clinical relevance and innovating parameters, supported by several articles already published in renowned medical journals”. José Guimarães Consciência (full professor at Nova Medical School and vice-rector of Universidade Nova) and Rui Mateus Marques (associate professor at Nova Medical School) were the thesis advisors. The jury was presided by José Fragata (vice-rector of Nova Medical School) and composed of Luís Filipe Caseiro Alves (professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Universidade de Coimbra), Maria Manuela França (professor at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto), Nuno Morais Neves (professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Universidade do Porto) and José Guimarães Consciência. What is the femoroacetabular impingement? The femoroacetabular impingement (where there is an abnormal contact of the head of the femur and the acetabulum) is a disease of the hip that affects adolescents and young adults, and may lead to premature hip arthritis. In order to evaluate it correctly in imaging exams – allowing to establish a plan of treatment –, it is fundamental to have methods, parameters and classifications to characterize it. The existence of such criteria is also decisive for the clinical research on the disease. Until present, there is still extensive controversy and a lack of guidelines based on medical evidence, besides a considerable variation in clinical practice. The research conducted by Vasco Mascarenhas in his thesis was decisive in the settlement of many disputes observed in literature, contributing critically to an improvement in the treatment and surgical planning of patients. In the photo above , José Guimarães Consciência, Vasco Mascarenhas and José Fragata. The remaining members of the jury participated by video conference.
