Dear Colleague,
It is a pleasure to have welcomed so many to the past meetings of the Intraoperative Imaging Society.
Why do we need this society? Isn’t intraoperative imaging (iOI) just another tool that is discussed in our peer-reviewed literature and at the meetings of other, older societies? The answer is…not so much. IOI is still viewed by many neurosurgeons as an expensive gimmick, whether it is done with iMRI, iCT, or iUS. If you are reading this letter, you have shown that you disagree with this notion. How can anyone deny the logic that we should know what we are doing and have done at the time of surgery? We have the technology in our grasp – how can we accept being “surprised” on postoperative images by residual tumor, misplaced catheters, or (worst) having “done too much” to a patient?
The iOIS is your forum to advocate for the acceptance of intraoperative imaging, to learn about new technologies, and to exchange ideas with colleagues and our partners in the industry. Especially at a time when “high-tech medicine” is disparaged as an aberration, we need to insist
on the routine implementation of iOI. We must work together to demonstrate, on scientific grounds, the value of iOI, and to find ways of bringing costs down so that more and more centers and patients can benefit.
Most of you probably were brought up with the rule of “no surprises” in neurosurgery, when you were residents and then attendings. The iOIS is your society to make sure there are no surprises in surgery. We hope those attending enjoyed the meeting and we look forward to your support for the iOIS!
All the best,
IOIS leadership