ISSue 1 /// Wednesday, October 19, 2011 /// eurospine2011.com
150 years of national unity
Eurospine
Welcome Address by the President of EuroSpine
Welcome to our first issue of Spine Times!
its historical sites, centres of art and culture, not to mention shopping; the social aspect of the meeting is an assured success and keenly anticipated.
good work of the local hosts or the attractivity of the site? A participant’s plus of 59% in EuroSpine, the meeting is un- 2003 Prague and one of 23% der constant development with in Vienna was realised. This the aim to meet all the expec- development also reflects in tions you may have. With our abstract submissions, where we new daily meeting newspaper can announce this year’s peak we would like to inform on of 886 submissions, the next new features and special points best submission year with 824 of interest within our daily abstracts was 2006 Istanbul. program. This is also to help you to get the most out of your EuroSpine clearly is the most Milan visit besides the scienti- important meeting for spine fic aspect, we know that most specialits in Europe, if not worldwide. of you are short in time. Our society, EuroSpine, is a union of two former societies, the European Spine Society (ESS) founded 1989 and the European Spinal Defomities Society (ESDS) founded 1982. They fused 1998 in Innsbruck, but already 1996 we started to have combined meetings called EuroSpine. The meeting grew constantly in every aspect, except of it’s length, there was always a three days program. Lately we added a preceding course day, which seems to be liked and is planned to be maintained. Attendance rose from a beginning of 150 to today of more than 2200 participants. During the years we had two significant jumps – due to the BRIEF HISTORY OF SPINAL SURGERY IN ITALY by Pietro Bartolozzi
Milan, October 19-21, 2011
From this year on EuroSpine will have a special linked meeting website: eurospinemeeting.org, where all activities like program, e-posters, webcasts, but also industry participation and contribution of all meetings shall be archived and accessible. Announcements of future EuroSpine meetings are of course also to be found there. In the name of the EuroSpine Executive Board, the local Hosts and the organising team we wish you a wonderful meeting! Judith Reichert Schild
Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute with an accurate and scientific classification of spinal fractures and a proposal of surgical The beginning of „Italian“ treatment for fractures with history of spine surgery is re- neurological involvement, lapresented by the publication minectomy (well reproduced of Putti, Scaglietti and Paltri- by Scoto), the only solution at nieri on vertebral fractures in that time. 1942, publicised one year after Read more on page 2 >> Putti’s departure. In that publication is summarised the great experience of
Ciaran Bolger - President of EuroSpine, the Spine Society of Europe
Dear Colleagues and Friends, Let me introduce you to our Society’s next annual scientific meeting and the Society’s acitvities and strenghts. EuroSpine 2011, October 1921 in Milan, Italy, promises, as with our previous meetings, to become a great scientific and social success. Over the years the annual EuroSpine meeting has developed into the premier gathering for spine specialists in Europe. It is regularly attended by over 2,000 delegates as well as representatives from the Industry. It receives the largest number of abstract submissions for any meeting held on the continent, as well as submissions and attendees from all over the world. As with previ-
ous meetings, the 2011 conference will maintain the highest academic standards with 85 of the best submissions accepted for oral presentation, and a further 175 accepted for short and poster presentation. This offering will be complimented by industry and society hosted workshops, pre-meeting gatherings on specific topics and expert lectures. All accepted abstracts will be published in the European Spine Journal, ‘our’ journal, which continues to go from strength to strength.
The meeting is being held against the backdrop of increasingly exacting, challenging if not exciting times for those involved in the provision of spinal services throughout Europe. The economic downturn with the inevitable pressure on health care budgets necessitates a strong and active society, dealing with the academic, economic and regulatory pressures on behalf of its members. To that end the EuroSpine Foundation, created by the society to advance its policies, promises to be an effective and professional tool. The successful creation of the European Education Courses, with courses both run by the society and courses hosted in co-operation with the national societies, has been an immediate success. That success points the way forward to the development of programmes of activity on various fronts (audit, research, economics and political) achieved through the co-operation of the Society, the Foundation and the various National Societies. The Society invites specialists in the field of spine to become a member of EuroSpine and participate in the tremendous development of our speciality in Europe.
The 2011 EuroSpine meeting Ciaran Bolger is being hosted by our colle- President of EuroSpine, the Spine agues, Marco Brayda-Bruno Society of Europe and Claudio Lamartina in their beautiful home of Milan. With
ISSue 1 /// Wednesday, October 19, 2011 /// eurospine2011.com
“Merging Hi-Fi with Hi-Tech” The Congress Motto Did some of you look at this years’ Congress motto with a question mark? Well, let us explain where it comes from and what we had in mind. We were full of enthusiasm for the start up of EuroSpine 2011 organisation, with lots of “rolling” ideas: innovation, creativeness, technology, tradition, history.
Claudio Lamartina
We were inspired by our city – that we wanted to highlight – with its speed and modernity on one side and its traditions and cultural heritage on the other. We were also inspired by clinical long experience with our patients and by all the promotional leaflets in our congress bags.
BRIEF HISTORY OF SPINAL SURGERY IN ITALY by Pietro Bartolozzi
There is of course no menti- in some ways anticipated the on to of stabilization obtained principles of the Harrington Nevertheless, some new ideas in the 1940’s only with plaster system that only later will be widely used. and techniques, after a first cast. phase of enthusiasm and perImmediately after the Second spectives, didn’t show a real eviWorld War, thanks to the addence-based change in patient vent of antibiotic therapy and outcome and treatment indicaimproved anatomical and phytion, if compared with the past siological knowledge it would “Hi-Fi” golden standards in spibe possible to successfully nal disease care. Sometimes the treat herniated lumbar and logic behind these innovations cervical disc. is just marketing competition. In our specific field, as well as Fineschi proposed the inin many others, the launch of a tervention of hemilaminonew “Hi-Tech” product or dearthrectomy and discectomy vice is more and more frequent, described in 1936 by Mixter and generally very much weland Barr with trans-dural accome, as long as it is based on Pietro Bartolozzi cess and attempted with no real results and effective improJust referring to instrumented success by Putti in 1941 with a vements when compared with stabilization, should be noted modern systematization in his past solutions, and as long as it that Marino Zuco in 1954 promonograph in 1955. It should can justify the use of further reposed a distraction system that sources (human and economical), which are even more limited Milano in 2011 between past and future than in the past. Milano is not new on the and new house needs dictaWe really believe that high tech- scene. Its earliest stones date ted the change of traditional nology cannot stand alone, and back to the Celtic civilizati- architecture into tall buildings that our role as spine surgeons on of the Insubri, six centu- that are still easily seen in the is to “Merge” it with the reliable ries B.C. When the Romans financial districts of the new guidelines, outcomes of inter- conquered this outpost of town. national registries, methods and northern Italy in the second regulations of our traditional century B.C. they called it Me- You have to look at the famous diolanum perhaps because of Cathedral, the Duomo, to feel practice. its median position in the Po the taste of the medieval town river valley. and its impressive surge to the eternals of the sky. But do not miss a look under the Cathedral to find interesting remnants of the Roman city.
be remembered that in those years decompression was used to treat spondylitic (especially tubercular) infections.
The Renaissance lies mostly in two places: the chateau of the Sforza family and the world famous complex of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper painting, beside Santa Maria delle Grazie’s church. Leonardo lived here and worked for the Sforza’s for a decade. The Science and Technology Museum Marco Teli that bears his name has dediA later imperial city of the cated a wing to display his MiWestern Roman Empire, it lanese work to posterity. became one of the most powerful state-cities during the To continue on your journey Renaissance and the capital of you will not miss the La Scala the Kingdom of Italy under opera house with its eighteenNapoleon. The Austrians then century neo-classic style along gave it the final impulse to bewith the adjacent Gallery whecome the crucial economical re the most elegant restaurants and cultural city of Northern and cafés are repaired from Italy, as it was well establisthe influence of climate and hed when Garibaldi and the time. Savoy’s unified Italy under one flag. Not far from La Scala you will finally relax in one of the Unfortunately, history is most exclusive district of the not easily found as you walk fashion victims’ agenda, Via through its busy streets, heaMontenapoleone, where all vily altered by Second World the firms of Italian and forWar bombings and subsequent eign prêt-a-porter, haute coureconstruction. Immigration ture and design celebrate their
Declared one of the World Cities by Unesco, it will host the Universal Exposition in 2015 with themes centered on nutrition. Hardly noticed nowadays, it is in fact surrounded by the very fertile Po river plane that gently fades towards the Apennines and the sea southwards and abruptly to the Alps northwards. Dining in Milano can be quite an experience because of both the price and the show, but purists of risotto (saffron rice), cotoletta (veal steak) and ossibuchi (bone steaks) will have to spend one night in the Navigli (i.e. boat) district and enjoy the atmosphere of the old waterfront streets in one of the many little restaurants there.
fully this trend will continue.
Marco Brayda-Bruno
Good sense and ethical approach, with the help of innovative instruments: this is one We have had a common feeling: of the mission of an important in the last 20 years, research and Society as SSE - Spine Society investments have made possib- of Europe and of its Annual le several technical innovations Meeting. that have produced a major improvement in spinal surgery Claudio Lamartina quality and possibilities. Hope- & Marco Brayda-Bruno Fashion Card Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (The National Chamber for Italian Fashion) greets EuroSpine 2011 Congress participants with a very special initiative: a fashion card granting special discounts in some boutiques in Milan. Please find the card in your badge holder together with the list of the boutiques and enjoy your shopping in the world‘s famous capital of Fashion. Rossella Salvoni / PCO
In 1956/57 which the Florence School faced for the first time in Italy the important chapter of the surgical treatment of scoliotic deformities. Ponte, Marchetti, Faldini, Manaresi, Frontino imported in Italy, after long periods abroad, Hibbs’ surgical techniques and Risser corrective casts; with those corrections and stabilization techniques it could be possible, after 10 years, to present reports of thousands of cases. Read more in the next issue …
never fading influence. For those of you who cannot resist, a dedicated organization (please see inside your congress bag) offers opportunity to visit these famed boutiques and shop at special rates. The city houses today about 1.3 million people in its 9 districts. Over 2 million people live in its suburbs and about 250 thousands are immigrants from other countries, mainly Philippines, Egypt and China.
Eurospine welcomes you to Milano, a city whose strong roots project to the future. Marco Teli
ISSue 1 /// Wednesday, October 19, 2011 /// eurospine2011.com
Artist Portrait Julia Buchner
Program-Highlights Have you noticed the beautiful paintings installed all around the congress venue? Let’s have a closer look at the artist who created them. Julia Buchner is a German artist, specializing in paintings of anatomical views. Her paintings bring out the philosophy of anatomical forms from the ambience of diseases. The inner life of the human being becomes art. The forms reflect the beauty of nature’s design. One of her key messages is: humans are beautiful. She has been converting the world of anatomy into beautiful paintings for the last 10 years, her paintings are at display in medical offices all over Europe. She is also open to special orders and commissioned work, which will be delivered within five weeks. Julia Buchner lives and works in Vienna, Austria. More of her work and dates of the next exhibitions can be viewed online at www.juliabuchner.com Imprint The Spine Times is a free congress newspaper published by the EuroSpine Society. Publishing House: EuroSpine, the Spine Society of Europe c/o J. Reichert Schild Seefeldstrasse 16 8610 Uster-Zürich Switzerland Tel. +41 44 - 994 14 04 Fax +41 44 - 994 14 03
New in 2011: Debate Sessions! A new development for this year’s program is the “debates sessions”. The intention is to stimulate thinking and discussion on areas of controversy and explore areas of consensus. We have invited well-known experts in specific areas of spine. They will argue that their view is correct and will defend their treatment methods to try and challenge the beliefs of other experts and the participants in the auditorium. A moderator will present a case. The audience will vote with an electronic voting system regarding aspects of case management. The „Experts“ will present the evidence for and against. At the end of the session the same vote will be taken to see if the audience has been persuaded to change their Publisher: Ciaran Bolger (EuroSpine President) Haluk Berk (EuroSpine Secretary) Local Hosts: Marco Brayda-Bruno, Claudio Lamartina Editor-in-Chief: Christian Lendl On-Site Editors: Emre Acaroglu, Marco Teli Contributors: Emre Acaroglu, Pietro Bartolozzi, Ciaran Bolger, Marco Brayda-Bruno, Maria Carolina Guidotti, Claudio Lamartina, Judith Reichert Schild, Rossella Salvoni, Marco Teli
views as a result of the arguments presented. Time permitting the moderator may then present what they actually did with the case and why. These are the topics for the debate sessions: 1. Can low back pain be cured by surgery? (Wednesday, 10:30, Plenary Hall) 2. Stenosis and adult lumbar deformity, is only decompression sufficient? (Wednesday, 11:15, Plenary Hall) 3. My treatment for cervical radicular pain is the best treatment! (Friday, 08:30, Plenary Hall) 4. How to treat a L1 burst fracture without neurological symptoms? (Friday, 09:15, Plenary Hall)
Photographs: EuroSpine Society, Christian Lendl, Shutterstock Powered by
ISSue 1 /// Wednesday, October 19, 2011 /// eurospine2011.com
150 years of national unity
Spine Society of Europe A Global Vision in the Globalized World A vision statement defines what we (want to) see ourselves (as a society) as, usually more prospective than actual. In this sense, it is a very important statement; not only as a delineation of our society’s goals but also as a guide as where we position ourselves in our community and amongst other institutions we share this space with. Having this in mind at this time in which our society is in the process of establishing a new strategic plan, it may be worthwhile to discuss our vision.
Emre Acaroglu
Milan, October 19-21, 2011
IF YOU WANT TO TASTE THE REAL FLAVOURS OF MILAN…
way of thinking to be accurate. Health problems related to spinal column are by default not limited by the geographical boundaries human beings had defined; they never had been. Let me use education as an example here, one of our society’s priorities. The question here is, is there a European pool of Spine Science we need to convey to a purely European pool of trainees? Answer is easy, No. Do we learn from people all over the world? Sure. Can we deliver education to people all over the world? Well, of course. We are not less qualified than any others (neither more, as a birthright). Realizing this, EuroSpine will be delivering core educational content in Dubai, UAE in the coming months, a very important step forward. This is not necessarily an understanding that is dictated to us by globalization, but rather a phenomenon we have just started to understand. Other spine societies with similar geographical attributions in their names have come to this conclusion about a decade ago and had been successful in eliminating any constrictive reference in their mission statements.
For those who are interested, an official statement of the aim of SSE may be found in our website1. Now, do we need a global approach in As we follow this path, we our general orientation? The shall witness our membership answer for me is Yes, we do. rostrum expand in parallel (at the present time, 81,3% of I believe we need a global ap- membership comes from EU proach in defining our aim Europe, 6,6% non-EU Euroand goals. As a society bearing pe and 12,1% others2) a larger the name of a geographical audience to listen to us and a part of the world, we intui- larger pool of experience to tively tend to think that there learn from. may be unique problems in our field of expertise (spine Lets remember that ESS is not related health problems) rela- a National Society, lets hope ted to our geographical defi- for the best. nition, and in relation to this, that we may provide unique Emre Acaroglu solutions to these problems. I personally cannot see this Smartphone Application
You cannot avoid starting a dinner in Milan without the ritual of “aperitivo”. The typical drink from the city is negroni, which is a little aggressive but really good, made with Bitter Campari, Gin, red Martini and ice. The place to drink a good negroni and its “wrong version” negroni Sbagliato (made with spumante instead of gin), and where it actually was invented in the 60’s, is Bar Basso (Via Plinio 39). If you feel like going into more crowded places all the Navigli area and Corso Sempione are full of bars for every kind of taste to have a good Italian aperitivo with cocktail and good food. If you feel like drinking a glass of wine and taste delicious fish go to Pescheria da Claudio in Brera (Via Cusani 1), a fish shop that gets transformed at dusk in a charming aperitivo bar with Italian sushi in many special recipes.
with a full-bodied beef broth and flavoured with saffron. As a second course you can have cassouela, an extremely filling dish made with various poor parts of pork meat cooked with green cabbage and other vegetables. If you are not feeling so brave, go for a more traditional dish like a tasty Milanese cutlet that is probably nothing like you have ever tasted in other places. Good places for traditional food are Antica Trattoria della Pesa (Viale Pasubio 10) located in a 19th-century weigh station with a cozy ambience and some of the finest funghi porcini pasta in the city. Another good place for an Italian genuine dinner is Trattoria Madonnina (Via Gentilino 6), where cotoletta alla Milanese barely fits onto its serving plate. If you are interested in buying foodstuffs or wine to bring back home you must visit Peck
(Via Spadari 9), a legendary temple of gastronomy where you will find all the food and drinks you need to satisfy your taste buds. If you feel like having just a quick snack nip behind the Rinascente department store by the Duomo to Panzerotti Luini (Via Santa Radegonda 16), renowned for its panzerott i-rounds of dough stuffed with tomato and mozzarella, then folded and fried. Finally if you want to eat a special pizza don not miss Spontini (Corso Buenos Aires 60 or Viale Papiniano 43) and its pizza al trancio a real must for pizza lovers. Maria Carolina Guidotti
After that you can choose one of the several restaurants specialized in local cuisine. Following Milanese tradition you should start with an antipasto made of nervetti, boiled calf ’s shank and knee cartilage cut in strips mixed with sliced onions. As a first course you cannot miss out on the classical risotto alla Milanese, made information about the congress venue and the exhibition area.
The EuroSpine App provides all information about the Euro- Furthermore watch all the Spine 2011 Conference directly conference videos and read an ePaper version of „The Spine on your smartphone. Times“ on your handheld deLearn about the EuroSpine So- vice! ciety and its board members and get the latest news about Visit the conference! Explore the sci- http://app.eurospine.org or entific program, get to know all scan this QR-code with the cathe speakers and read practical mera of your smartphone!
In the next Issue Read the second part of Pietro Bartolozzi‘s „Brief History of Spinal Surgery in Italy“ and get to know Ciaran Bolger, President of EuroSpine. Find out more about the background of Björn Strömqvist, Winner of the Full Paper Award and discover the sights of Milan!