ISSUE 3 /// FRIDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2016 /// EUROSPINE2016.EU

WELCOME NEW PRESIDENT We would like to congratulate Margareta Nordin on her election as EUROSPINE President for the Term 2016-2017. She plans to continue the path which has led EUROSPINE to become a fast growing, broad-minded society. As a society lives with its members, it is especially important for the organisation to fulfil members’ wishes. Precisely, she is convinced that members and the society are seeking more and more specialised education with a diploma as a spine specialist. A spine surgical diploma is in place and a non-surgical diploma is being started. The comprehensive education programme is one of the aspects of EUROSPINE that is looked at with envy from other societies. This is also the reason why it is important for her that the spring meeting will continue as a specialty meeting with a narrower focus which explores specific issues in depth.

MEDAL LECTURE Furthermore she wants to expand the opportunities for research, for example with specialist fellowships in medical centers. Also the new opportunity for the accreditation of spine centers will bring treatment of spine related issues to a new standard so that all healthcare providers can deliver their excellence in treatment. The regionalisation of the services of EUROSPINE will also play an important role. On the one hand Spine Tango will be continually developed so that the goal of having it in every country in Europe implemented except where there are already national registries in place will be met. On the other hand Patient Line should and will also be translated into several other European languages. The differentiation of memberships has brought a substantial

growth to the society which should be maintained with continued excellent service for the individual member. The continued importance of EuSSAB to EUROSPINE is shown as the voices of the EuSSAB national members are now represented through the observer at the Executive Committee of EUROSPINE Margareta Nordin hopes that all European countries will soon become members of EuSSAB. Her personal wish as a president is that “I can fulfil the members’ suggestions and requests for changes in the society and to attract more young members to engage actively in the society as much as possible as this is the future of the society. I am also extremely proud to be the first female president and I hope that more women will follow.”

PRESIDENT’S SPEECH At his presidential address Michael Ogon, President of EUROSPINE 2015-2016, presented “The Surgeon’s Time Capsule”. His speech started on the different aspects of time capsules and how little the chances of their content being ever read again are. Dr. Ogon reported on the history of anaesthesia, the base of modern surgery and the realizations of Ignaz Semmelweis as well as many other steps in medical history which lead to modern medicine as we know it today. After some inspirational stories of early orthopaedics, the audience

was lead to the to story of the set-up or an entirely new spine department in 2001 at the Hospital Speising in Vienna which eventually resulted in the new department for joint replacement in 2014. In his final conclusion Dr. Ogon explained the dramatic changes that have affected medicine in Austria and around the world from heavy regulation on working time, to more time having to be used for bureaucratic procedures. His points on the changes in patient advocacy and especially the one on overregulation were

listened to with high interest by the international audience. This will certainly lead to discussions among participants of EUROSPINE 2016 on how the relationship between patients and doctors as well as bureaucracy is handled throughout Europe. He finished with his personal wishes for EUROSPINE: ”When creating new standards, guidelines, position statements, or treatment recommendations, let us try to set the framework as wide as possible in order to allow for a liberal medical profession.”

This year’s Medal Lecture was given by Dr. Theo Sommer, the former editor-in-chief and editor-at-large of “Die Zeit”, one of the most renowned German newspapers.

like him, his successors never wavered in their commitment to the EU, as all of them also supported mooring the enlarged Federal Republic in the Atlantic Alliance.

Twenty-five years ago, Germany was reunified after forty years of division. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of Communism and the disaggregation of the Soviet Union, the Germans were looking forward to a peaceful and prosperous future in a reunited Europe. They dedicated themselves to modernizing East Germany – a difficult and expensive task, given the dilapidated state of the area between the rivers Elbe and Oder. By now Germany has spent about 2.5 trillion Euros on lifting the “Neue Länder” out of poverty and tristesse. The task is not yet accomplished, but living conditions in East Germany, although unemployment hovers twice as high as in West Germany, have approached 90 percent of the Western level. Then the Germans went about restructuring and expanding the European Union.

During the past eight or ten years, however, the givens changed fundamentally. Germany’s economic strength has become a political liability rather than an asset. Its austerity policy and its enormous trade surplus, seen as a boon at home, weighed on the economically weaker EU countries. The global financial crisis triggered by Lehmann Brothers in 2008 and the Greek debt crisis compounded Germany’s dominance, causing an enduring rift between North and South in the EU. The Ukraine crisis shattered the hope for a peaceful Europe. The refugee crisis caused by the migration tsunami in 2015 opened another deep rift, this time between Germany and Chancellor Merkel’s “welcome culture” and Eastern Europe’s refusal to accept any refugees, especially Muslim refugees.

Rather than turning his back on Europe after reunification, Chancellor Kohl committed the country to the goal of an even closer union of the European peoples. He pushed for the speedy installation of the Euro, giving up the strong Deutschmark in favor of a common currency of the Brussels Community. He supported the accession of the eight ex-Communist countries in Eastern Europe to the EU and

The Brexit crisis, however, has catapulted Germany back to the top. Faute de mieux, it has become Chancellor Merkel’s task to trace out the future path of the EU-27 and to design the structures that will secure its survival. It’s work in progress, and the outcome is still quite uncertain. In his closing words Dr. Sommer pleaded for less bureaucracy in Europe but for a stronger Union overall.

ISSUE 3 /// FRIDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2016 /// EUROSPINE2016.EU

THE INTERNATIONAL SPINE REGISTRY SPINE TANGO Permanent innovations in spinal surgery demand continuous documentation assessing the efficiency, safety and costeffectiveness of the new techniques and technologies. An outstanding base for fulfilling these demands is the international spine registry - Spine Tango. Spine Tango was installed in 2002 under the auspices of EUROSPINE, in cooperation with the Swiss RDL - medical Registries and

Data linkage at the Institute for Social and Preventative Medicine of the University of Bern in Switzerland. The system has been continuously growing both in participating countries as well as participants who contribute data via encrypted online forms or use the databases to improve their factual knowledge regarding different scenarios. All numbers indicate the success of the system which has always been a non-

NEW MEMBERS COCKTAIL On Wednesday the societys young members had a great welcome into the organisation at the young members cocktail where they were offered a first hand experience to mingle and a great opportunity to know experienced, reputable members the ideal time to learn how to get the most out of a EUROSPINE membership.

Tip for new members If you did not have a chance to pick-up your member certificate during the New Members Cocktail, simply stop by the EUROSPINE Booth and pick it up there. Take this opportunity to use the last chance to create a professional portrait in our photo booth - or get more creative and do a fun picture with our EUROSPINE Berlin themed accessories.

commercial academic project and we are confident that it will continue to grow and help medical staff around the globe to continue perfecting their approaches to treatment. On the new website, you will find many useful services, statistics, benchmarking reports and new studies and publications. The online statistics allow benchmarking on a clinic, national and international level.

THANKS TO OUR PREMIUM PARTNERS

STRAIGHTEN UP AND MOVE - “#MYBACKSTORY” a CAMPAIGN

EUROSPINE underwent tremendous growth during the past 5 years. This has been possible because of a professional team, and sedulous staff, its active members, visionary presidents and officers of the society, and also thanks to reliable partners from the industry. Many of those partners have been with us for many years. Without their continuous support the sustainable development of EUROSPINE would not have been possible. Therefore we would like to take this opportunity to thank them.

To raise awareness on World Spine Day (16 October 2016) and in accordance with the “Straighten Up and Move” theme, we are asking people to submit a short tweet/story or take a photo demonstrating how they keep their spines healthy and live life to the fullest with a spinal condition. We are asking people to share their stories via social media using #worldspineday, #straightenupandmove #mybackstory. Photos should be tasteful, creative and help to raise awareness for healthy spine habits and keeping active. Photos can be shared on the EUROSPINE Facebook, Twitter (@EUROSPINESoc) page or via email faber@eurospine.org. FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

BURNING QUESTIONS For the last time during EUROSPINE 2016 we would like to ask you for answering our burning questions. As this will be the final edition of The Spine Times for this year the results will be published in EUROSPINE`s social media channels.

• Have you learnt something new at Eurospine this year? Y/N • Is something you have learnt likely going to change your practice? Y/N

To stay up-to-date, like us on facebook.com/EUROSPINE and follow us on Twitter (twitter.com/EUROSPINESoc). Please use the official congress hashtag #EUROSPINE2016 for tweets about the conference.

VOTING RESULTS BURNING QUESTIONS DAY 2 Thank you for your continued interest shown by engaging in the services and giving us your opinions and feedback. Yesterday 167 people voted via the EUROSPINE App on the Burning Questions. These are the results: Does MIS surgery improve patient outcomes?

Yes: 60 No: 29 Do you tend to routinely do a fusion in patients with ?

Yes: 45 No: 33

ISSUE 3 /// FRIDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2016 /// EUROSPINE2016.EU

ISSUE 3 /// FRIDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2016 /// EUROSPINE2016.EU

ISSUE 3 /// FRIDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2016 /// EUROSPINE2016.EU

RECORD GROWTH THROUGH NEW MEMBERSHIP INCENTIVES The benefits of becoming a EUROSPINE member are stronger than ever before. With new incentives and an international, multidisciplinary base now exceeding 1000 members and 6850 associate members, EUROSPINE is the place to network with the brightest minds in spine today. NEW MEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGES We are continuously working to improve value for our EUROSPINE members, and are delighted to announce that we have made our membership package even more attractive this year. Benefits include the following incentives: • Significantly reduced registration fees for the Annual General Meeting (-EUR 380,-) and Spring Specialty Meeting (-EUR 250,-) • Reduced registration fee for the EUROSPINE Task Force

SETTING NEW STANDARDS IN EDUCATION EUROSPINE is committed to providing excellence in spine education in both basic and advanced training. In the last 12 months, we held two Education Weeks, as well as courses in Portugal and China, and continued our work towards the development of a core curriculum across Europe through EuSSAB. We have signed an equivalency agreement with DWG and will soon finalise one with the Turkish Spine Society.

Jörg Franke Chairman, Education Committee REDESIGNED ESCD PROGRAMME INTRODUCED In October 2015 and again in June 2016, we delivered our

EUROSPINE WAY FORWARD STRATEGY – ON TRACK FOR THE FUTURE •

• • •

Research courses (- EUR 200,-) Reduced registration fee for the EUROSPINE Spine Course Diploma (Module 1 -EUR 100,-, Modules 2-5 EUR 200,- ea.) Exclusive early access to webcasts Access to research grants Subscription to the European Spine Journal (print & online)

Take action – help improve spine care. EUROSPINE members have the opportunity to: • Become a faculty member in EUROSPINE’s educational activities • Join a committee or become a committee chair or member of the ExCom • Exercise full voting rights at the General Assembly • Participate in Spine Tango and access Patient Line • Enjoy EUROSPINE’s member lounge at Annual Meetings • And so much more! ‘YOUNG MEMBER’ CATEGORY POPULAR WITH NEW APPLICANTS Spine professionals under the redesigned European Spine Course Diploma (ESCD) with a focus on skills that participants can use in their daily practice. The ESCD comprises 5 Modules, with Learning Outcomes for each session of each Module. Held in Strasbourg, France, our Education Week in October was attended by 99 participants from 25 countries. 51 diplomas were issued. At our June session, we had a further 78 participants from 30 countries, issuing 26 diplomas. ADVANCED EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING In August, the FORTE Summer School 2016 was held in Faro, Portugal. Organised by Joao Vide with the patronage of EUROSPINE, the FORTE Summer School is designed to provide an opportunity to prepare for the EBOT exam, open to residents in their last two years of training (whether or not they are applying to the Exam). The second goal is to provide a general review course, open to residents in all years of training and young orthopaedic surgeons. Module 1 of our Advanced Course was held on 23 September 2016 in China. DIPLOMA EQUIVALENCE AND EUSSAB

age of 40 get 50% off the annual fee for the first two years of membership, namely 70,-€/ year, whilst we were also able to maintain a low fee of only 140,€/year for a full membership Since the introduction of this membership category in 2014, it has proved immensely popular. Young members now account for 55% of all new memberships, enjoying full privileges for half the price. EUSSAB: CREATING STRONG NETWORKS In just two years, 25 national societies have joined EUROSPINE as “Institutional Members” through the European Spine Societies Advisory Board (EuSSAB) bringing with them more than 6850 associate members. This common umbrella and communication platform serves to unite national spine societies from across Europe and provide a neutral forum for addressing common issues related to spine health, such as in the area of education or the development of one universal spine diploma. By bringing together spine professionals from diverse cultures and areas of expertise through EuSSAB, EUROSPINE’s membership Through EuSSAB, EUROSPINE is working closely with 25 national spine societies with the goal of establishing a core curriculum across Europe, leading to a recognised European Spine Certification. This year, we launched a partnership with the German Spine Society (DWG) for diploma equivalence and are planning to launch a partnership with the Turkish Spine Society (TSS) in 2017. EuSSAB brings together Stakeholders from societies across Europe to discuss the most important issues in Spine, with education as a key focal point to improve patient care. Last 10 September in Munich, an education workshop was held with the participation of 14 national societies. Representatives expressed that their societies will aim to develop programmes, having shared learning outcomes and equivalence with the EUROSPINE’s European Spine Course Diploma. A European certificate is the goal and will be one of the steps towards a recognized specialty in spine surgery. FELLOWSHIPS AND ACCREDITED SPINE CENTRES This year, EUROSPINE offered two observerships/fellowships:

base provides richer networking opportunities than ever before. We’re looking forward to meeting our EuSSAB representatives here in Berlin on Oct. 6! PAN-EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE This year, for the first time in the history of EUROSPINE, our membership topped 1000 spine professionals, with representation from almost every country, within and beyond the borders of geographic Europe. With so many talented specialists working together, we are sure to find innovative solutions for our raison d’être – our patients. If you are not yet a member of EUROSPINE, we invite you to join our dynamic and growing association!

• Short term (up to 14 days) Member to Member funded grant for learning specific surgical techniques and procedures (1500 EUR) • Validated Fellowship Members PGT 6 month+ of fellowship training in a EUROSPINE recognized multi-disciplinary centre (validated by EUROSPINE) EUROSPINE also accredited 10 spine centres in 8 European countries.

Christoph Siepe Chariman Membership Committee

NEW DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH In June 2016, Julie-Lyn Noël, MD MBA, joined EUROSPINE as Director of Education and Research, to manage and develop a comprehensive educational platform, course activities and education/research projects in cooperation with the Education Committee and Task Force Research.

PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY 8:30-10:00 DEGENERATIVE SPINE 10:30-12:00 THE “BEST OF SHOW” PAPERS. THE HIGHEST SCORED ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS

12:00-14:00 LUNCH SYMPOSIA: • LOW BACK PAIN – THE IMPACT OF HIP AND SACROILIAC JOINT AS POSSIBLE GENERATORS • ADULT SCOLIOSIS. THE RULES, THE ROPES AND TECHNIQUES TO STAY OUT OF PROBLEMS 14:00-15:20 • DEGENERATIVE SPINE, NEW TECHNIQUES, IMAGING, PATIENT SAFETY, COMPLICATIONS • TRAUMA, TUMOUR, INFECTION • GROWING SPINE AND DEFORMITY 15:50-17:30 NEW TECHNIQUES, IMAGING, PATIENT SAFETY, COMPLICATIONS

ISSUE 3 /// FRIDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2016 /// EUROSPINE2016.EU

WELCOME MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear EUROSPINE Members, Colleagues and Guests, It would be an honour to welcome you to the upcoming EUROSPINE Annual Meeting, taking place in the beautiful historical city of Dublin in 2017. EUROSPINE is the largest spine society in Europe, having grown from 452 to over 1,080 members since 2010. 24 national European societies have joined EUROSPINE through EuSSAB, further increasing our membership base by approximately 6,800 associate members. This success is testament to our strength as an organization on an international level, with an important impact on clinical care, education, research, communication and knowledge transfer. The EUROSPINE Annual Meeting attracts several thousand participants from more than 80 countries who want to learn about improving spine care for patients through the latest advances in research and clinical findings, and who enjoy networking with the best and the brightest in spine research and care.

• • • •

FUTURE EVENTS EUROSPINE has much to offer during the upcoming year and many opportunities will be offered to expand your personal horizon on various subject of spinal medicine. At the end of this year, 8 December 2016, a Literature Review Course

will take place in Toulouse, France. This course will provide participants with the necessary skill to critically appraise the quality of the spine literature. Specifically, the course will introduce basic study designs and discuss the main threats to the validity of clinical studies.

IMPRINT

The Spine Times® is a free congress newspaper published by EUROSPINE. Publishing House: EUROSPINE, The Spine Society of Europe Judith Reichert Schild Seefeldstrasse 16 8610 Uster-Zürich, Switzerland

SAVE THE DATE EUROSPINE 2017 20th Anniversary

Diploma for lifelong learning (launched in 2015/2016) Applying for EUROSPINE Task Force Research Grant Applying for a fellowship to improve your clinical or research skills Spine Tango: a Europe-wide Spine Registry And so much more!

Visit the exhibition for a firsthand experience with state-ofthe-art research and the latest technologies. Talk to your colleagues, make new friends and be part of a great network. Above all, enjoy the presentations, posters, abstracts, and debates on controversial issues. If you are interested in learning about the best in spine medicine which Europe (and the world) has to offer, then Dublin is the place to be in October 2017. I look forward to meeting you there! Sincerely,

11-13 October 2017 in Dublin, Ireland

Dear colleagues, It gives us great pleasure to invite you to the annual meeting of EUROSPINE 2017 in Dublin and offer you a Cead Mile Failte go hEireann or a hundred thousand welcomes to Ireland. The Dublin conference centre is centrally placed in our capital city which offers many historical, cultural and entertainment activities. There are many hotels within walking distance or a short tram or taxi ride away. The overall scientific programme will take the familiar form that has been established over the last few years. This has been successful in advancing our spinal society meeting to the highest international standards. You can be sure of advancing your knowledge and renewing old and making new contacts.

The 2017 EUROSPINE Annual Meeting is the international spine forum which will cover topics such as: • The European Spine Course Diploma (ESCD) education programme • Our advanced Spine Course

WELCOME MESSAGE FROM THE LOCAL HOSTS

varying between 5°C and 15°C. It is likely to be changeable and possibly wet (60% chance). It was no accident that the Romans called Ireland Hibernia (Latin for winter). You can be assured however of a warm welcome. Dublin has become a very popular tourist centre so it is easy to arrange addi onal excursions or activities as required.

(c) Rob Wilson Shutterstock

So we would invite you to come and be educated, refreshed and entertained. The EUROSPINE Network Experience at the Guinness Storehouse will give you an opportunity to sample some of the best aspects of Irish music, refreshment and entertainment in a convivial multi centre space. Yours sincerely, Your local hosts, Ciaran Bolger, consultant neurosurgeon

Margareta Nordin EUROSPINE President 2016-17

October is the start of the winter in Ireland with temperatures

Frank Dowling, consultant orthopaedic surgeon

Registration is possible already for this course. 2017 the programme will start early with an Advanced Course

date for the TFR Course 2018 is already set 19-23 March 2018 and will be in Istanbul, Turkey. The Education Week 2017

Online registration EUROSPINE 2017

for

Meetings

between 9-11 January 2017 in Strassbourg, France. The TFR Course

will take place 13-17 March 2017 in Munich, Germany. Participants will gain a basic understanding of clinical research and give an overview of the methodology used to conduct clinical research with the highest quality. The Contact: info@eurospine.org Tel. +41 44 - 994 14 04 Fax +41 44 - 994 14 03 Publishers: Michael Ogon (President of EUROSPINE) Editors in Chief: Emre Acaroğlu, Thomas Blattert, Dominique A. Rotenfluh

will take place in Strasbourg, France, 19-23 June 2017. Basic Biomechanics & Biomechanical Methods for Experimental Research of the Musculosceletal System 2017

will be organized in Ulm, Germany between 18-22 July 2017.

Managing Editor: Stefanie Hannover Contributors: Anna Faber, Felix Degeler, Alexander Hinteregger, Beat Leimbacher, Arno Leporano, Judith Reichert, Conny Schmutzer Art Director Michael Wieland

will begin on Thursday, 1 December 2016. Abstract submission will start on 15 December 2016.

Research

All these offers come with preferred rates for members of EUROSPINE. Subscribe to our new events calendar if you wish to get all our event details automatically fed to your personal calendar www.eurospine.org/calendar

Education

Patronage Photographs: Martin Steiger, Mario Habenbacher, Christian Lendl

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