- Email: [email protected]
A program supplement
The Spine Journal 2 (2002) 45S–46S
Editorial A program supplement
Joel M. Press, MD, Eugene J. Carragee, MD
It is with great pleasure that we introduce the annual meeting issue of The Spine Journal. As program directors, we have endeavored to put together the best possible meeting. This issue of The Spine Journal reflects the very high quality of original scientific work to be presented to the North American Spine Society (NASS), as well as the comprehensive review of contemporary issues in spinal disorders also to be presented. We have relied very heavily on the excellent work of our predecessors in this position, particularly Dr. Curtis Dickman, who paved our way in the 2001 meeting in Seattle. At the Seattle meeting our educational council chair, Dr. J.J. Abitbol, undertook a comprehensive needs assessment survey of the membership to help further direct our efforts in meeting the Society’s needs through our educational programs, including the annual meeting. It is with these results in mind that the meeting was in part constructed. The education needs assessment report indicated the following trends
and issues. A series of five focus groups were held in Seattle as well as a written survey of approximately 600 members. These groups indicated that the special interest group discussions and symposia were highly rated and recommended to continue. It should also be noted that very few of those surveyed or in focus groups indicated that they wanted to see more papers presented, and this may indicate we have reached a saturation point. Similarly, it appears the annual meeting is mainly a time for didactics and discussion in our members’ minds, because only 20% of the membership indicated that they would consider participating in a hands-on course. In all, the majority of members thought that the level of the NASS educational programs was right on target. Regarding specific issues, the membership has indicated that the top issues of concern are 1) clinical review of appropriate/inappropriate procedures; 2) a more balanced discussion of the pros, cons, risks and benefits of procedures and 3) the lack of scientific evidence for many spine care
Joel M. Press, MD
Eugene J. Carragee, MD
1529-9430/02/$ – see front matter © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. PII: S1529-9430(02)00 4 1 6 - 3
46S
J.M. Press and E.J. Carragee / The Spine Journal 2 (2002) 45S–46S
treatments. To the program committee, this indicated a strong desire for a critical look at our practices and the application of evidence-based medicine criteria to determine program content. The program committee received a record number of abstracts submitted for consideration of paper and poster presentations. The selection of the top 100 papers is a very difficult task, particularly given the distribution of scores found after review and grading. The number of very qualified papers far exceeded our ability to present all of these. However, we thought the meeting should reflect the very best scored papers and posters while giving adequate time for consideration, discussion and questions. The average score of the papers has continued to climb, indicating to us the continued application of sound scientific principles in growing numbers of spinal research projects. The Outstanding Paper Award Selection Committee also selected three outstanding papers. The program directors and
The Spine Journal are proud to present these papers in abstract form in this issue, and we think these are of both general and subspecialty interest to the Society as a whole. We congratulate the authors for their excellent efforts and for their support of the NASS by showcasing their work to the membership. The 2002 annual meeting also will contain excellent symposia. Topics to be presented include the aging spine, stabilizing low back pain, controversies in management of the cervical spine, differential diagnosis and evaluation of failed back surgery, whiplash and whiplash-related disorders, spinal manipulation in spine care and politics and patient safety. The emphasis of these symposia is to present and discuss both sides of these common and often controversial topics. Finally, the program directors wish to acknowledge the outstanding assistance by the support staff at NASS and the backing by the editors at The Spine Journal in putting together this issue to highlight the annual meeting.
To obtain Instructions for Authors, please visit our website at http://www.spine.org/tsj.cfm © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. The Spine Journal is published six times a year by Elsevier Science Inc. 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010. Institutional rate. US$180.00 for all countries except Europe and Japan, NLG 355 for European countries, JPY 22,300 for Japan. Personal rate: US$90.00 for all countries except Europe and Japan, NLG 177.00 for European countries, JPY 11,200 for Japan. Prices include postage and are subject to change without notice. Photocopying: Single photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make photocopies for non-profit educational classroom use. Permission may be sought directly from Elsevier Science Rights & Permission Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: (44) 1865 843830, fax: (44) 1865 853333; e-mail: [email protected]. You may also contact Rights & Permissions directly through Elsevier’s home page (http://www.elsevier.com). Select “Obtaining Permission” under “Getting Published” on the left side of the screen. In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payment through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: (978) 7508400, fax: (978) 7504744), and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P OLP, UK; phone: (44) 171 436 5931, fax: (44) 171 436 3986. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works: Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the publisher is required for all other derivative works, including complications and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage: Permission of the publisher is required to store or use electronically and material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article. Contact the publisher at the address indicated. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Science Rights & Permission Department, at the mail, fax and e-mail addresses noted above. Notice: No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Advertising material included in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made or it by its manufacturer. Orders, claims, and product inquiries: Please contact the Customer Support Department at the Regional Sales
Office nearest you: New York: Elsevier Science, Customer Support Department, P.O. Box 945, New York, NY 101590945, USA; phone (1) (212) 633-3730 (toll-free for North America customers: 1-888-4ES-INFO); fax: (1) (212) 633-3680; e-mail: [email protected]. Tokyo: Elsevier Science, Customer Support Department, 9-15, Higashi-Azabu 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106, Japan; phone (3) 5561-5033; e-mail: [email protected]. Singapore: Elsevier Science (Singapore) Pte Ltd, No. 1 Temasek Avenue, 17-01 Millenia Tower, Singapore 039192; phone (65) 434-3727; fax: (65) 337-2230; e-mail: [email protected]. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, Customer Support Department, P.O. Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, The Netherlands; phone (31) 20-485-3757; fax: (31) 20-4853432; e-mail: [email protected] [Note (Latin America): for orders, claims, and help desk information, please contact the Regional Sales Office in New York as listed above] For advertising orders and inquiries: North and South America: Hank Blaney, Elsevier Science Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010; Tel: (212) 633-3648; fax: (212) 633-3820; [email protected]. For classified advertising, contact Ariel Medina, Elsevier Science Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010; Tel: (212) 633-3689; fax: (212) 633-3820; [email protected]. International: Advertising Department, Elsevier Science, The Boulevard, Langford Lane Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, United Kingdom, Tel: (44) (0) 1865 843565, fax: (44) (0) 1865 843967; e-mail: [email protected]. Japan: Advertising Department, Elsevier Science Japan, Tel: (81) (3) 5561 5033; fax: (81) (3) 5561 5047. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Spine Journal, Elsevier Science Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010. Disclaimer Notice: Statements and opinions expressed in the articles and communications herein are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of the Editor(s), North American Spine Society (NASS) or Publisher, or indicative of NASS views, policy or editorial concurrence. The Editor(s), the NASS, and the Publisher assume no responsibility for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence, or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein. No suggested test or procedure should be carried out unless, in the reader’s judgement, its risk is justified. Because of the rapid advances in the medical sciences, medical practitioners should obtain independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages. Discussions, views, and recommendations as to medical procedures, choice of drugs, and drug dosages are the responsibility of the authors. Consumers should consult with their own doctors about their individual health status before making any health decisions. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical (medical) standards, the appearance of advertising in The Spine Journal does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement by the journal and/or the North American Spine Society of the quality or value of such product or to the claims made for it by its manufacturer. The fact that a product, service, or company is advertised in The Spine Journal shall not be referred to by the manufacturer in collateral advertising. This paper meets the requirements of ANSI Standard Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).
Editorial A program supplement
Joel M. Press, MD, Eugene J. Carragee, MD
It is with great pleasure that we introduce the annual meeting issue of The Spine Journal. As program directors, we have endeavored to put together the best possible meeting. This issue of The Spine Journal reflects the very high quality of original scientific work to be presented to the North American Spine Society (NASS), as well as the comprehensive review of contemporary issues in spinal disorders also to be presented. We have relied very heavily on the excellent work of our predecessors in this position, particularly Dr. Curtis Dickman, who paved our way in the 2001 meeting in Seattle. At the Seattle meeting our educational council chair, Dr. J.J. Abitbol, undertook a comprehensive needs assessment survey of the membership to help further direct our efforts in meeting the Society’s needs through our educational programs, including the annual meeting. It is with these results in mind that the meeting was in part constructed. The education needs assessment report indicated the following trends
and issues. A series of five focus groups were held in Seattle as well as a written survey of approximately 600 members. These groups indicated that the special interest group discussions and symposia were highly rated and recommended to continue. It should also be noted that very few of those surveyed or in focus groups indicated that they wanted to see more papers presented, and this may indicate we have reached a saturation point. Similarly, it appears the annual meeting is mainly a time for didactics and discussion in our members’ minds, because only 20% of the membership indicated that they would consider participating in a hands-on course. In all, the majority of members thought that the level of the NASS educational programs was right on target. Regarding specific issues, the membership has indicated that the top issues of concern are 1) clinical review of appropriate/inappropriate procedures; 2) a more balanced discussion of the pros, cons, risks and benefits of procedures and 3) the lack of scientific evidence for many spine care
Joel M. Press, MD
Eugene J. Carragee, MD
1529-9430/02/$ – see front matter © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. PII: S1529-9430(02)00 4 1 6 - 3
46S
J.M. Press and E.J. Carragee / The Spine Journal 2 (2002) 45S–46S
treatments. To the program committee, this indicated a strong desire for a critical look at our practices and the application of evidence-based medicine criteria to determine program content. The program committee received a record number of abstracts submitted for consideration of paper and poster presentations. The selection of the top 100 papers is a very difficult task, particularly given the distribution of scores found after review and grading. The number of very qualified papers far exceeded our ability to present all of these. However, we thought the meeting should reflect the very best scored papers and posters while giving adequate time for consideration, discussion and questions. The average score of the papers has continued to climb, indicating to us the continued application of sound scientific principles in growing numbers of spinal research projects. The Outstanding Paper Award Selection Committee also selected three outstanding papers. The program directors and
The Spine Journal are proud to present these papers in abstract form in this issue, and we think these are of both general and subspecialty interest to the Society as a whole. We congratulate the authors for their excellent efforts and for their support of the NASS by showcasing their work to the membership. The 2002 annual meeting also will contain excellent symposia. Topics to be presented include the aging spine, stabilizing low back pain, controversies in management of the cervical spine, differential diagnosis and evaluation of failed back surgery, whiplash and whiplash-related disorders, spinal manipulation in spine care and politics and patient safety. The emphasis of these symposia is to present and discuss both sides of these common and often controversial topics. Finally, the program directors wish to acknowledge the outstanding assistance by the support staff at NASS and the backing by the editors at The Spine Journal in putting together this issue to highlight the annual meeting.
To obtain Instructions for Authors, please visit our website at http://www.spine.org/tsj.cfm © 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. The Spine Journal is published six times a year by Elsevier Science Inc. 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010. Institutional rate. US$180.00 for all countries except Europe and Japan, NLG 355 for European countries, JPY 22,300 for Japan. Personal rate: US$90.00 for all countries except Europe and Japan, NLG 177.00 for European countries, JPY 11,200 for Japan. Prices include postage and are subject to change without notice. Photocopying: Single photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make photocopies for non-profit educational classroom use. Permission may be sought directly from Elsevier Science Rights & Permission Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: (44) 1865 843830, fax: (44) 1865 853333; e-mail: [email protected]. You may also contact Rights & Permissions directly through Elsevier’s home page (http://www.elsevier.com). Select “Obtaining Permission” under “Getting Published” on the left side of the screen. In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payment through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: (978) 7508400, fax: (978) 7504744), and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P OLP, UK; phone: (44) 171 436 5931, fax: (44) 171 436 3986. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works: Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the publisher is required for all other derivative works, including complications and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage: Permission of the publisher is required to store or use electronically and material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article. Contact the publisher at the address indicated. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Science Rights & Permission Department, at the mail, fax and e-mail addresses noted above. Notice: No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Advertising material included in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made or it by its manufacturer. Orders, claims, and product inquiries: Please contact the Customer Support Department at the Regional Sales
Office nearest you: New York: Elsevier Science, Customer Support Department, P.O. Box 945, New York, NY 101590945, USA; phone (1) (212) 633-3730 (toll-free for North America customers: 1-888-4ES-INFO); fax: (1) (212) 633-3680; e-mail: [email protected]. Tokyo: Elsevier Science, Customer Support Department, 9-15, Higashi-Azabu 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106, Japan; phone (3) 5561-5033; e-mail: [email protected]. Singapore: Elsevier Science (Singapore) Pte Ltd, No. 1 Temasek Avenue, 17-01 Millenia Tower, Singapore 039192; phone (65) 434-3727; fax: (65) 337-2230; e-mail: [email protected]. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, Customer Support Department, P.O. Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, The Netherlands; phone (31) 20-485-3757; fax: (31) 20-4853432; e-mail: [email protected] [Note (Latin America): for orders, claims, and help desk information, please contact the Regional Sales Office in New York as listed above] For advertising orders and inquiries: North and South America: Hank Blaney, Elsevier Science Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010; Tel: (212) 633-3648; fax: (212) 633-3820; [email protected]. For classified advertising, contact Ariel Medina, Elsevier Science Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010; Tel: (212) 633-3689; fax: (212) 633-3820; [email protected]. International: Advertising Department, Elsevier Science, The Boulevard, Langford Lane Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, United Kingdom, Tel: (44) (0) 1865 843565, fax: (44) (0) 1865 843967; e-mail: [email protected]. Japan: Advertising Department, Elsevier Science Japan, Tel: (81) (3) 5561 5033; fax: (81) (3) 5561 5047. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Spine Journal, Elsevier Science Inc., 655 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10010. Disclaimer Notice: Statements and opinions expressed in the articles and communications herein are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of the Editor(s), North American Spine Society (NASS) or Publisher, or indicative of NASS views, policy or editorial concurrence. The Editor(s), the NASS, and the Publisher assume no responsibility for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence, or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein. No suggested test or procedure should be carried out unless, in the reader’s judgement, its risk is justified. Because of the rapid advances in the medical sciences, medical practitioners should obtain independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages. Discussions, views, and recommendations as to medical procedures, choice of drugs, and drug dosages are the responsibility of the authors. Consumers should consult with their own doctors about their individual health status before making any health decisions. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical (medical) standards, the appearance of advertising in The Spine Journal does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement by the journal and/or the North American Spine Society of the quality or value of such product or to the claims made for it by its manufacturer. The fact that a product, service, or company is advertised in The Spine Journal shall not be referred to by the manufacturer in collateral advertising. This paper meets the requirements of ANSI Standard Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).