Symposiums

These syposiums will consist of panel discussions on specific topics, led by an industry experts from around the world.

Symposium 1:

Advanced MRI imaging sequences to identify early disc degeneration suitable for regenerative therapy

Tuesday 13 May | 11:30am - 12:15pm | Ballroom A

Speakers:
B T Pushpa - Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore, India
Jeffrey Lotz - University of California San Francisco, USA
Aaron Fields - University of California San Francisco, USA
S Rajasekaran - Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore, India

Synopsis

There has been considerable research and efforts in reversing disc degeneration with various types of regenerative therapies, which have unfortunately not met with uniform success. None of them have been able to provide results enough to allow clinical applications. The main reasons for this poor success may be the hypoxic and poor nutrient environment of the disc, the low cell density, and the poor regenerative capacity for the nucleus pulposus cells. But an overriding reason may also be the fact that normal MRI is incapable of identifying early disc degeneration and by the time changes are obvious, degeneration could have crossed a ‘point of no return’.

Modern MRI sequences like Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, T2 relaxometry, T1rho and FLASH help to identify molecular level changes and alterations of proteoglycans and matrix much before any changes are obvious in routine MRI. Recently, there has been considerable advances in these imaging techniques and this symposium will discuss the topic in detail. The speakers for the symposium are all veterans in this field with their research well published and accepted.

Symposium 2:

ISSLS-ORS Symposia: Sport & Spine

Tuesday 13 May | 4:30pm - 5:50pm | Ballroom A

Speakers:
Dino Samartzis- Rush University, USA
Jiri Dvorak - Schulthess Clinic Zurich, Switzerland
Svenja Illien-Junger - Emory University, USA
Arnold Wong - The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
Paul Hodges - The University of Queensland, Australia
Kinshi Kato - Fukushima Medical University, Japan
Koichi Sairyo - Tokushima University Tokushima, Japan

Synopsis

What to Expect:

  • Insights into the impact of sports on spine health/disorder

  • Cutting-edge research on injury prevention and rehabilitation

  • Discussion of both conservative and surgical management options

  • Optimizing athletic performance while safeguarding spinal health

  • Collaboration between top clinicians, researchers, and sports medicine experts

Don’t miss this exclusive collaboration between ISSLS and the ORS Spine Section! Join us as we delve into “game-changing” advancements in spinal care for athletes - and raise awareness of the symbiosis between a Healthy Body, Healthy Mind and a Healthy Spine.

Symposium 3:

Strengthening the quality of spine research with causal inference

Thursday 15 May | 10:30am - 11:15pm | Ballroom A

Speakers:
Pierre Côté - Ontario Tech University, Canada
Conor O’Neill - University of California, San Francisco, US
Sara Jones Berkeley - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, US

Synopsis

Identifying cause and effect relationships is a core task of science. For this reason, randomized controlled trials (RCT’s) stand at the apex of the scientific evidence pyramid. However, it may not be feasible to conduct RCT’s to answer all the important causal questions in spine research. Of the 119 oral (podium and special poster) presentations that included clinical data at the ISSLS 2024 annual meeting only 3 were reports of RCT’s. Of the 116 clinical studies based on observational data only one included a formal causal analysis. While traditionally researchers have avoided making causal inferences when interpreting observational data, we argue that methodological advancements challenge this practice and provide methods to investigate causal effects using observational designs. Therefore, it is critical for scientists involved in spine research to use modern approaches to designing and analysing observational studies, by incorporating causal inference principles. This symposium will feature four 12-minute presentations followed by discussion:

  1. Introduction to counterfactual reasoning (O’Neill)

  2. A principled approach to answering causal research questions using Directed Acyclic Graphs (Côté)

  3. Solving applied problems in spine research with causal inference: Mediation Analysis (Sara Berkely Jones)

  4. An innovative alternative to RCT’s: Target emulation trials (Côté)

Symposium 4:

Evolving Paradigms in Lumbar Disc Herniation: From Prediction to Precision Surgery

Thursday 15 May | 5:05pm - 5:50pm | Ballroom A

Speakers:
Xudong Joshua Li - University of Virginia, US
Zorica Busar - New York University, US
Gianluca Vadalà - Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Italy

Synopsis

This symposium will explore the latest advancements in the understanding and management of lumbar disc herniation, focusing on predicting disc reabsorption, identifying novel biomarkers, and utilizing AI for surgical decision-making. Experts will discuss the effectiveness of various surgical techniques, including discectomy vs sequestrectomy, and annulus fibrosus repair, in reducing recurrence rates. The emerging roles of endoscopy and unilateral biportal endoscopy (UBE) will be also discussed. The session aims to enhance knowledge on optimizing patient outcomes through personalized surgical approaches and cutting-edge technologies.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the natural course of disc herniation reabsorption and the potential for prediction using MRI.

  2. Explore new biomarkers for lumbar disc herniation and their clinical relevance.

  3. Assess the potential of artificial intelligence in predicting surgical outcomes and determining optimal timing for intervention.

  4. Evaluate the effectiveness of current surgical techniques, including discectomy, sequestrectomy, and annulus fibrosus repair, in reducing recurrence rates.

  5. Discuss the future role of endoscopic techniques and UBE in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation.

This symposium stems from the efforts of the AOSpine Knowledge Forum Degenerative initiative, aimed at driving innovation in the field of lumbar disc herniation management.