Preservation rhinoplasty course in Brazil for international surgeons.
Six editions, five to six surgeons per course and five live cases in four to five days. Here is how the program works, who it is for and what to plan for a trip to Maringá, Paraná.
Preservation Week is the hands-on preservation rhinoplasty course run by the Sella Learning Center in Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. Six editions have been held, the sixth in November 2025. Each edition lasts four to five days, with five live surgeries, fresh cadaver dissection and a group limited to five or six surgeons. The content covers dorsal preservation (push down and let down), ultrasonic rhinoplasty with piezoelectric instruments, tip ligament preservation, case selection and a practice management module. Dr. Guilherme Sella leads the faculty, teaching in Portuguese, English or Spanish. Enrolment is handled directly by the Sella Learning Center team.
What Preservation Week is
Preservation Week is a small group, high immersion course on preservation rhinoplasty held in Maringá, in the state of Paraná, Brazil. It is also announced as the Preservation Ultrasonic Rhinoplasty Course, because dorsal preservation and piezoelectric instrumentation are taught together rather than as separate subjects.
The format has been repeated across six editions. The sixth took place in November 2025 and included live surgery every day, dissection on a fresh anatomical model and a module on clinic management and marketing. Each edition is limited to five or six surgeons so that every participant stays close to the operating table and can ask questions during the case.
The course is organised by the Sella Learning Center, the teaching structure created by Dr. Guilherme Sella for otolaryngologists, plastic surgeons and maxillofacial surgeons who already operate and want to add preservation techniques to their practice.
Who the course is designed for
The audience is medical. Participants are usually surgeons who already perform rhinoplasty with structural or classic reduction techniques and who want a reproducible route into dorsal preservation.
Typical profiles include:
- Otolaryngologists with a formal specialist title who operate both function and aesthetics
- Plastic surgeons who want to incorporate push down and let down into their algorithm
- Maxillofacial surgeons with facial aesthetic practice
- Surgeons in their first years of independent practice looking for structured mentorship
- International surgeons who prefer a short, intensive trip over a long fellowship
Teaching is delivered in Portuguese, English or Spanish, depending on the group. Documentation such as attendance certificates can be issued in English or Spanish on request.
What the program covers
The curriculum follows the logic of a real practice: how the patient is selected, how the nose is analysed, how the operation is executed and how the result is followed.
- Preoperative analysis: photographic protocol, digital simulation, skin thickness and the role of high frequency ultrasound in planning
- Indications and contraindications for dorsal preservation, including deviated dorsum, V shaped and S shaped humps and revision scenarios
- Push down and let down: subdorsal strips, osteotomy sequences, management of the keystone area
- Ultrasonic rhinoplasty: piezoelectric osteotomies, rhinosculpture and bone handling with soft tissue preservation
- Tip surgery with ligament preservation, and when structural grafting from septum, ear or rib is the better choice
- Functional work in the same operation: septoplasty, turbinate reduction and nasal valve management
- Salvage and conversion strategies when preservation does not behave as planned intraoperatively
- Clinic management, consultation flow and communication with patients
Every case discussed is a real patient. Indication, technique and risks of each case are always individual and defined in consultation, and the course makes that reasoning explicit rather than presenting a single recipe.
Live surgery and cadaver dissection
Two teaching environments are combined.
In the operating room, participants follow five live surgeries with narration, including the decision points that are usually invisible in edited videos. Cases are selected to show different anatomies rather than only ideal noses.
In the dissection laboratory, work on a fresh anatomical model allows participants to repeat subdorsal strip design, osteotomies and ligament dissection with their own hands, including with piezoelectric instruments. Dissection on fresh tissue reproduces bone and cartilage behaviour far better than preserved specimens.
Small groups exist for a practical reason. With five or six surgeons, each participant actually performs the manoeuvres instead of watching them from a screen at the back of the room.
Comparing the teaching formats
Preservation Week is one of four routes offered. The right one depends on how much time you can commit and how far you already are in your learning curve.
| Format | Duration | Group size | Main content | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preservation Week | 4 to 5 days | 5 to 6 surgeons | 5 live surgeries, fresh cadaver dissection, management module | Surgeons travelling from other countries or states for an intensive immersion |
| Weekly mentorship | 1 week | 1 surgeon | Around 5 surgeries and 4 office periods | One to one observation of the full patient journey |
| Fellowship | 12 months | 1 fellow per year | Full clinical and surgical training, certification linked to ABCPF and ABORL-CCF | Otolaryngologists building a rhinoplasty focused career |
| Mastering Preservation | Online, self paced | Unlimited | Video lessons in Portuguese, English and Spanish | Studying before or after an in person course |
More than fifty physicians have already attended the weekly mentorship format, which often works as a follow up to the course.
Why Maringá and why this faculty
Dr. Sella is an otolaryngologist, CRM-PR 33.018, RQE 17.984, trained in residency at HCFMRP-USP in Ribeirão Preto, with a direct doctorate in Morphophysiology of Facial Structures completed at the same institution in 2018 and a fellowship in structured rhinoplasty in Melbourne and Sydney. He is certified by the European Board in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, a full member of ABORL-CCF and of the Brazilian Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery, and a founding member of the Brazilian Society of Rhinoplasty.
The teaching content is supported by peer reviewed work on preservation indexed in PubMed, including Expanding Indications to Dorsal Preservation Rhinoplasty, Brazilian Approach to Dorsum Preservation and Indications for Preservation Rhinoplasty: Avoiding Complications. The full list is available in publications. He has also taught as invited faculty in more than ten countries, with two lectures at the All in One Rhinoplasty Congress in Istanbul in 2025.
Surgeries take place at a private hospital complex in Maringá with eleven operating rooms and adult intensive care, which allows a full week of consecutive cases without schedule disruption.
Travel and logistics for international participants
Maringá has a commercial airport with direct flights from São Paulo (Guarulhos and Congonhas) and Curitiba, so most international participants connect through São Paulo on the morning of arrival. Road access from inland São Paulo state, Mato Grosso do Sul and Paraguay is straightforward.
Practical points to plan:
- Arrive one day before the first session, since live surgery usually starts early
- Allow four to five full days without other commitments
- Hotels near the clinic can be suggested by the team
- Bring loupes if you normally operate with them
- Request invitation letters and certificates in English or Spanish in advance
When to contact the Sella Learning Center
If you are a physician and want dates, the current program outline or the enrolment process for the next edition, contact the Sella Learning Center team directly on WhatsApp at (44) 99167-2023, or through the contact page. Places are limited by the group size, and candidates are asked about their current surgical volume and techniques so the content can be adjusted to the group. Patients looking for surgery should use the clinical pages on rhinoplasty instead.
Otorrinolaringologista e cirurgião facial · CRM-PR 33.018 · RQE 17.984. Doutor pela FMRP-USP, fundador do Sella Learning Center. Atualizado em 2026-10-15.
Perguntas frequentes
Where does the preservation rhinoplasty course in Brazil take place?
Preservation Week is held in Maringá, in the state of Paraná. Theory and dissection take place at the Sella Learning Center structure, and live surgeries are performed in a private hospital complex in the city.
How many surgeons are accepted in each edition?
Each edition is limited to five or six participants. The small group format is what allows every surgeon to stay close to the operating table and perform the manoeuvres during cadaver dissection.
Is the course taught in English?
Yes. Dr. Sella speaks Portuguese, English and Spanish, and the teaching language is adapted to the group. Certificates and invitation letters can be issued in English or Spanish on request.
Do participants operate on live patients during the course?
No. Participants observe five live surgeries with narration and discussion, and perform hands-on work on a fresh anatomical model in the dissection laboratory.
What is the difference between Preservation Week and the weekly mentorship?
Preservation Week is a four to five day course for a group of five or six surgeons with live surgery and cadaver dissection. The weekly mentorship receives one surgeon at a time for around five surgeries and four office periods, focused on the complete patient journey.
Who can apply to the twelve month fellowship?
The annual fellowship is directed at otolaryngologists and lasts twelve months, with certification linked to ABCPF and ABORL-CCF. Details and availability are confirmed directly with the Sella Learning Center team.
How many days does each edition last and what does a typical day look like?
Each edition runs for four to five days. The days combine live surgery, theory sessions and dissection on a fresh anatomical model, with time for discussion of each case before and after the operation. The sixth edition, held in November 2025, also included a module on clinic management and marketing. The exact schedule is confirmed by the Sella Learning Center team for each edition.
Is cadaver dissection included or is it an optional add on?
Fresh cadaver dissection is part of the program, not a separate module. Participants work on the anatomical model after seeing the same manoeuvres performed in live surgery, which helps connect the osteotomy sequences and subdorsal strip to real tissue. Group size is kept to five or six surgeons so that each participant has hands on time.
Do I need previous experience with rhinoplasty to attend?
The course is designed for surgeons who already operate on the nose and want a structured route into dorsal preservation and piezoelectric instrumentation. Otolaryngologists, plastic surgeons and maxillofacial surgeons with aesthetic practice are the usual profiles. Surgeons in their first years of independent practice also attend, often combined with ongoing mentorship.
How do I register and when are the next dates announced?
Enrolment is handled directly by the Sella Learning Center team, which confirms dates, available places and the documentation needed for travel. Medical registration is required, since the content is restricted to physicians. You can reach the team on WhatsApp at (44) 99167-2023 to ask about the next edition.
Fale com a equipe do Sella Learning Center
Fellowship, mentoria, Preservation Week e plataforma online.