AO Dialogue 1|13 The newsletter for the AO community
AO and neurosurgery—transforming surgery; improving lives The history and future of neurosurgery within the AO Professors Paul Manson and Christian Matula “Today we classify injury to the most complex organ in the body as mild, moderate or severe. We use a decades old classification system which does not distinguish between pathology types. As a profession, we need many more tools to deliver effective therapies. We can do better.” Geoffrey T Manley, Neurosurgeon
The AO was founded by surgeons who knew that better treatments and tools were needed for their patients. They initiated challenging work in the laboratory, in the clinics and operating rooms, then classified and organized
their discoveries utilizing outcomes into a disciplined way to teach their peers the AO Principles. They developed the instruments to accomplish the surgery with a minimum of tissue injury, and continued to use the laboratory to improve clinical practice. In recent years the AO has welcomed the involvement of like-minded, impassioned, impatient, “triple threat” surgeons who have dedicated themselves to improving patient care for those who have suffered another devastating traumatic injury; a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI is an area of profound complexity, and one in desperate need of global health improvements. Literally millions suffer the injury annually. It is an injury that has the potential to [ continued on page 2 ]
Table of contents
AO and Neurosurgery
1
My view, James Kellam
4
AO Clinical Study Center program
6
New and future AO publications
8
AO Clinical Divisions updates 10 AO Institutes updates
14
AO President’s interview
19