Spirit of continuity burns bright

Philippe Sourdille reflects on the clinic’s evolution HISTORY In 1928, Gilbert Sourdille, the first ophthalmologist to successfully treat some cases of retinal detachment 10 years earlier (1918), created with his brother Maurice, a world pioneer of deafness surgery, a clinic under their name. My father Gabriel-Pierre, son of Gilbert, after a residency and fellowship in Paris, started an academic and private career in Nantes. His work on corneal grafts dates from the late 1930s, together with Louis Paufique from Lyon. He was recognised internationally as one of the initiators of corneal grafting, especially in the field of lamellar surgery to improve the results at a time where no proper suture material was available. In 1970, after a residency and fellowship in Lyon, under the guidance of Louis Paufique and Jacques Charleux, I came back to the place where I had decided, when I was 15 years old, to try to walk in the steps of the founders. The medical team then expanded and new buildings were created: lacrymal duct surgery, ocular motility and strabismus were added to our skills by Jean-Pierre Métaireau and Alain Gouray. In 1974 the International Symposium on Micro Surgery was held in Nantes, where the first phacoemulsification on French soil was performed by Dr Charles Kelman. The first European ophthalmic microsurgery course followed in December 1974, and over the next three decades many similar sessions took place. From 1979 to current times, intracapsular placement of intraocular lenses (IOLs) has been a continuous field of creativity: original designs and collaboration with several laboratories are part of the developments history of IOLs. Since 1982, Didier Ducournau developed retino-vitreal techniques, including retinal detachment microsurgery, pre-retinal and internal limiting membranes peeling. For the past 20 years, non-penetrating glaucoma surgery techniques (Philippe Sourdille, Pierre Yves Santiago) have been designed, published, taught and continuously improved. The unique spirit of Clinique Sourdille is made of internal and external networking. We have constantly benefited from collaboration with French and international institutions such as the Société Francaise d’Ophtalmologie (SFO), the French Implant and Refractive Surgery Association (SAFIR), and, above all, the ESCRS. WHAT MADE IT A SPECIAL PLACE? Four key components, I think, are important factors in the clinic’s success: first, a creative, familial ownership and influence through three generations, nourished by French and international visits and meetings. In this way, Clinique Sourdille has established strong links with major institutions and colleagues all over the world. Second, a permanent search for motivated young ophthalmologists to continue and develop improvements in all fields of ophthalmic surgery. Several generations of practitioners have had wonderful careers here in Nantes, sharing their ideas and values for the next generation of ophthalmologists. Third, the permanent dialogue with the ophthalmic industry made possible a number of new developments, with a special focus on ocular imaging, refractive surgery, cataract, glaucoma and vitreoretinal surgery. Last but not least, ophthalmologists are only a part of the history: for 90 years, our exceptionally skilled anaesthesiologists, managers, nurses, and administrative personnel have been a major part of our success story. THE FUTURE STARTS NOW In 1990 the Sourdille family decided to sell the clinic to Générale de Santé, one of the very first investors in private health, in order to fulfil our development needs. This industrial partnership continued in 2011, with Vivalto Santé buying the premises from Ramsay Générale de Santé. The historical buildings in downtown Nantes are now too small. We therefore have to move to a new place. The 90th anniversary of Clinique Sourdille will be celebrated in a modern facility of approximately 5,000 square metres, a few miles away from our birth place. Elsan, one of the two leading French private hospitals groups, has acquired from Vivalto Santé the brand Clinique Sourdille, and the ownership for an ambitious programme. Clinique Sourdille will become Institut Sourdille Atlantique. Initially, 30 ophthalmologists will work there, half of them from Clinique Sourdille and half from Polyclinique de l’Atlantique, Kervision group. Among other creative actions this group created Phacomania, an annual international meeting on phacoemulsification, also held in Nantes. The new buildings are currently under construction and will open at the end of next year. The medical team will grow, sharing the same ethics and motivation. It will cover most fields of ophthalmology, with an innovative mind. Special cases of refractive surgery and OCT-assisted microsurgery (cornea, retino-vitreal surgery) are routinely performed. Addressing the ocular needs of an ageing population is a major part of our programme. We are extremely proud to be involved in the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) programme for cataracts. Elsan sponsors this revolutionary approach to outcomes, which is expected to induce major changes in medical practice and in insurance coverage. Partnering with Clinique Chénieux Ophtalmologie in Limoges, another prestigious private hospital, will further strengthen our development. Our two leading centres will be the first French institutions to participate in the global ICHOM programme. Continuous surgical education in Sourdille Atlantique will also be made possible by the acquisition of a surgical simulator and by a permanent live video transmission. The past 90 years have profoundly transformed Clinique Sourdille, but I think that if Gilbert and Maurice were with us today they would recognise the same virtues that marked their own careers in medicine: a passion for science and innovation and a relentless dedication to patient care. That is the continuity that lies at the heart of Clinique Sourdille as it begins the next chapter in its ongoing story.

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