Dr. Giancarlo Puddu
Sports Medicine and Knee Specialist
Rome, Italy
Sports medicine and knee specialist, Giancarlo Puddu, MD was born in 1943 in Rome, Italy. He received his medical degree from the University of Rome La Sapienza, in 1968, and he completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the Hospital Il Policlinico in Rome in June 1971.
During his medical studies Dr. Puddu had many years of specialized training experience: a scholarship in Pediatric Cardiology at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada (July – August 1965); a scholarship in Cardiology at The University of California, San Francisco (July – August 1967); and ascholarship in Orthopaedic Research at the Institut fur Experimentelle Chirurgie, Davos, Switzerland (July – December 1969).
After his residency in Orthopedics, Dr. Puddu was awarded a fellowship in Knee Surgery with Prof. Albert Trillat in Lyon, (1973), and a fellowship in Knee Surgery and Sports Medicine with Dr. Jack C. Hughston, in Columbus, Georgia ( 1975 – 1976). During this same time, he began his teaching career in orthopedics at the University of Rome La Sapienza where he was associate professor until 1987, when he left the University and went into private practice. Since 1987, he has had several teaching appointments at: the University of Siena, the University Chieti and at the Istituto Superiore di Educazione Fisica in Rome.
He also served as team physician for the Roma soccer team.
Dr. Puddu has been involved in many research projects on knee osteotomy and ACL reconstruction advancing progress toward better treatment for knee arthrosis, cartilage repair, ACL reconstruction and tendinopaties. He has published more than 150 papers and book chapters related to knee surgery and sports medicine.
Since 1977 he is an editorial board member of the American Journal of Sports Medicine. In addition to teaching and practicing, Dr. Puddu was the ESSKA President ( European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy) between May 1999 to September 2000, and served as Godfather for the AOSSM – ESSKA Traveling Fellowship, an annual scientific and cultural exchange among orthopaedic sports medicine physicians in North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Pacific Rim.
Dr. Puddu, has been one of five 2009, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), Hall of Fame inductees on Friday, July 11th at the AOSSM Annual Meeting in Keystone, Colorado.
Dr. Puddu and his wife Agneta live in Rome. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.
Selected Published Works
Puddu G, Cipolla M, Cerullo G, Franco V, Giannì E. Osteotomies: the surgical treatment of the valgus knee. Sports Med Arthrosc. 2007;15(1):15-22.
Puddu G, Giannì E, Chambat P, De Paulis F. The axial view in evaluating tibial translation in cases of insufficiency of the posterior cruciate ligament. Arthroscopy. 2000;16(2):217-220.
Cipolla M, Scala A, Gianni E, Puddu G. Different patterns of meniscal tears in acute anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures and in chronic ACL-deficient knees. Classification, staging and timing of treatment. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 1995;3(3):130-134.
Cipolla M, Cerullo G, Franco V, Gianní E, Puddu G. The double patella syndrome. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 1995;3(1):21-25.
Conteduca F, Ferretti A, Mariani PP, Puddu G, Perugia L. Chondromalacia and chronic anterior instabilities of the knee. Am J Sports Med. 1991;19(2):119-123.
Cerullo G, Puddu G, Conteduca F, Ferretti A, Mariani PP. Evaluation of the results of extensor mechanism reconstruction. Am J Sports Med. 1988;16(2):93-96.
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Dr. Mario Larrain
Knee, Shoulder and Sport Medicine Specialist
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mario Victor Larrain graduated from La Plata University, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He is a medical doctor specializing in arthroscopic and orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine. He did his residency at San Martin General Hospital, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina from 1980 to 1984.
His education continued as a foreign resident medical doctor at Institut Calot de Berk-Plage, France in the Pediatric Orthopaedics and Knee Surgery departments. He completed another residency at the College de Medecine des Hopiteaux de Paris, which included an Arthroscopy Unit at the Hospital Medicine School Trousseau. From 1985 to 1986, he was a fellow in Arthroscopy and Sport Surgery at Clinique du Sport in Paris with Prof. Pièrre Sagnet as medical director. Also in Paris he was a competing doctor in Arthroscopy and Orthopaedic Sport Surgery Service at Moussin et Clinique du Marais. In 1989, together with doctors Guy Bellier, Jean Ives Dupont and Henry Carlioz, he published his first international article titled “Lateral Discoid Menisci in Children” in Arthroscopy.
Dr. Larrain has taught doctors in arthroscopy, knee surgery, orthopaedics and sports medicine at Buenos Aires Medicine University and with the Asociación Argentina de Artroscopia. He’s also been a member and faculty of different international congresses around the world. He is an active member of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedics Sport Medicine (ISAKOS) and was on the Board of Directors, Upper Extremity Committee and Sport Medicine Committee for several years from 1997 to 2013. He has participated as a paper presenter, faculty, and chairman in different symposia, round tables and instructional courses at the ISAKOS Biennial Congresses since 1997, including the most recent meeting in 2013 in Canada.
He became President of the Argentine Association of Arthroscopy (2008) and was chairman of Argentina 2008 International Congress for arthroscopy, knee surgery and orthopaedics sport medicine and was Honorary Chairman of Argentina 2012 joint international congress with the Arthroscopy Association of North America.
From 1990 to present, he has worked as a surgeon and consultant for the UAR (Argentina union de Rugby) for all equipment and as the Medical Director of the Department of High Medical Performance through 2013. He was the team doctor for the Juniors Pumas (national youth team) and Argentina A (second national rugby team) from 1990 to 1994 and the Senior Doctor for the Pumas team from 1995-2007.
At present he works in Buenos Aires as a recognized knee, shoulder and sport medicine specialist and keeps learning, teaching, and developing medicine. Dr. Larrain lives in Buenos Aires with his wife and two beautiful daughters.
Selected Published Works
Larrain MV, Botto GJ, Montenegro HJ, Mauas DM. Arthroscopic repair of acute traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation in young athletes. Arthroscopy. 2001;17(4):373-377.
Larrain MV, Mauas DM, Collazo CC, Rivarola HF. Arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament distal graft rupture: A method of salvage.Arthroscopy. 2004;20(7):757-760.
Larrain MV, Montenegro HJ, Mauas DM, Collazo CC, Pavón F. Arthroscopic management of traumatic anterior shoulder instability in collision athletes: analysis of 204 cases with a 4- to 9-year follow-up and results with the suture anchor technique. Arthroscopy. 2006;22(12):1283-1289.
Larrain MV, Montenegro HJ, Botto G, Mauas DM, Di Rocco E, Riatti P. Arthroscopic management of first-time traumatic anterior shoulder dislocation in young athletes: evaluation and results in 100 cases with 7.4 years follow-up. Arthroscopy 2012;28(9 suppl):e352-e353.
American Journal of Sports Medicine Editorial Board Spotlight 