One Overseas Spine Meeting Beckons Above Them All

John Rich, writing in Time, said this of Kuala Lumpur: “Kuala Lumpur is Asia’s green capital, where monkeys scamper close to skyscrapers and the occasional boa constrictor slithers across six-lane traffic. Centered around a colonial inheritance of ordered landscaping and dominated by palm-lined freeways, K.L. offers room to breathe and to contemplate.”

For spine surgeons who are more than ready to break away from their demanding practices, breathe and with some of the top deformity surgeons of the U.S. and Asia, contemplate and learn—the IMAST meeting in Kuala Lumpur is a must go.

From July 8 to July 11, in the capital of Malaysia, the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) is holding its International Meeting of Advance Spine Techniques (IMAST).

Always a terrific meeting, holding it in Kuala Lumpur makes this year’s IMAST even more memorable, exotic and professionally fulfilling.

IMAST Program Highlights

After an evening of banana leaf dining (we’re talking all-you-can-slurp heapings of rice, dal and curried whatever on fans of banana leaf in place of plates) spend two and a half days immersed in 190 clinical papers, four spirited debates on technique and surgical issues, talking shop with the top Asian and U.S. surgeons and honing skills at seven hands-on workshops.

Here is a selection of some of the highlights from this year’s program:

• Nine Debates:
  1. Which Approach Is Superior for Treating Adult Degenerative Scoliosis?
     • Juan Uribe M.D. champions the MIS approach
     • Steven Glassman, M.D. counters with the open approach
  2. What Is the Best Way to Achieve Lumbar Lordosis?
     • Larry Lemke, M.D. goes posterior while
     • Munish Gupta, M.D. says anterior/lateral is best
  3. SI Joint Arthritis Is a Common Entity Requiring Surgical Intervention
     • David Polly, M.D. says “yes” while
     • Todd Albert, M.D. says “no”
  4. Transpoas Versus MIS TLIF: Which Is the Best Technique for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis?
     • John Ferguson, FRACS argues in favor of transpoas while
     • Matthew Scott Young, MBBS, FRACS counters with MIS TLIF
  5. Sagital Plane Assessment: Which Is Better, the French or American Perspective?
     • Pierre Roussouly, M.D. says the French perspective rules, but
     • Frank Schwab, M.D. respectfully disagrees
  6. What Is the Preferred Approach for Multilevel Cervical Disc Herniation?
     • Matthew Scott Young, MBBS, FRACS argues in favor of arthroplasty
     • Chung Chek Wong, M.G. counters with anterior discectomy and fusion while
     • Morio Matsumoto, M.D. presents the case for laminoplasty
  7. Surgery or Bracing for Thoracolumbar Fractures?
     • Ki-Tack Kim, Ph.D. gives the case for bracing and
     • Mark Weidenbaum, M.D. argues in favor of surgery
  8. Thoracolumbar Fractures Without Neurological Deficits Are Best Treated With MIS Techniques
     • Chung Chek Wong, M.D. agrees and makes the case while
     • Ronald Lehman, M.D. disagrees and explains why
  9. Is BMP Needed for Adult Spinal Deformity Surgery?
     • Shay Bess, M.D. says “yes” but
     • Sig Breven, M.D., says “no”
• My Worst Complications: Strategies to prevent/manage complications associated with:
  1. Adult Deformity
  2. Cervical Trauma
  3. Tumor
• Malaysian Spine Society ICL – Tuberculosis of the Spine
• Asia Pacific Spine Society ICL – Anterior Spinal Surgery Revisited, Correction of Severe Deformity—Tips and Tricks

Award Winning Clinical Papers

There are six award winning papers this year and they are:

1. Implant Materials Generate Different Peri-Implant Inflammatory Factors: PEEK Promotes Fibrosis and Micro-Textured Titanium Promotes Osteogenic Factors: Rene Olivares-Navarrete, DDS, Ph.D.; Sharon L. Hyzy, MS; Paul J. Slosar, M.D.; Barbara D. Boyan, Ph.D.; Zvi Schwartz, Ph.D..
2. Morbidity and Mortality of Complex Spine Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study in 679 Patients Validating the SAVES System in a European Population: Sven Karstensen, PSc; Tanvir Bari; Martin Gehrchen, M.D., Ph.D.: John Street, M.D., Ph.D.; Benny Dahl, M.D., Ph.D., DMSci
3. A New Genetic Locus Increases Risk of Idiopathic Scoliosis in Females: Carol Wise, Ph.D.; Swarkar Sharma, Ph.D.; Douglas Londono, Ph.D.; Walter Eckalbar; Xiaochong Gao; Ikuyo Kou; Atsushi Takahashi; Morio Matsumoto, M.D.; John Herring, M.D.; Shiro Ikegawa, M.D., Ph.D.; Nadav Ahituv; and Derek Gordon, Ph.D.
4. Prediction of Outcomes in AIS: Results from BrAIST: Lori Dolan Ph.D.; Stuart Weinstein M.D.
5. When Does Growth Stop? Results of a Longitudinal Study Comparing Menarche and Skeletal Maturation of the Pelvis, Hand and Elbow to Growth Completion: James Sanders, M.D.; Debbie Dang, M.D., Ph.D.; Xing Qiu, Ph.D.; Mariano Menendez, M.D., P; Christopher Cook, M.D.; Sarah Hans, M.D.; Daniel Cooperman, M.D.
6. Magnitude, Location and Factors Related to Regional and Global CorrectionLoss in Long Adult Deformity Contructs Report of 183 Patients with Two-Year Follow Up: Christopher Ames, M.D.; Virginia Lafage, Ph.D.; Justin Scheer, BS; Michael Kelly, M.D.; Richard Hostin, M.D.; Robert Hart, M.D.; Eric Klineberg, M.D.;Themistocles Protopsalitis, M.D.; Vedat Deviren, M.D.; Daniel Sciubba, M.D.; Shay Bess, M.D.; Christopher Shaffrey, M.D.; Frank Schwab, M.D.; Justin Smith, M.D., Ph.D.; International Spine Study Group

Faculty

And holding this whole meeting together is an outstanding faculty representing the top clinicians, professors, researchers and scientists from Malaysia, Asia, Australia and North America. And, of course, one of the highlights of a meeting like IMAST is the proximity to these top surgeons. While the podium presentations are good, it’s the conversations afterwards that matter the most.

And then, of course, there is Kuala Lumpur

4 Things to See and Do in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is one of Asia’s top destinations for eating and shopping. The city has become a cultural melting pot with some of the world’s cheapest 5-star hotels, great shopping at every price range and amazing food.

Here are four things to see and do in Kuala Lumpur:

1. Shop at the Bukit Bintang: If the Champs-Elysees merged with Times Square and added a splash of Las Vegas, you’d come close to Bukit Bintang. This is one of the world’s best shopping and people watching experiences.
2. Banana-Leaf Dining: Quoting from travel writer John Rich: banana-leaf dining is “instantly satisfying on many levels—social, culinary, tactile.” This is Tamil culture at its best and Trip Advisor says that the Sri Nirwna Maju Restaurant has the best banana leaf dining in all of Kuala Lumpur. Here’s a photo.
3. Batu Caves: About 18 miles outside of K.L., the Batu Caves are 400 million year old limestone caves that house one of the most popular Hindu shrines outside of India. Wild life includes monkeys and the shrines are incredible, this is one of the great places to visit in Asia.
4. Little India: Quoting John Rich again: “Grotty steam-table joints alternate with groceries peddling papaya-tomato soap, while spices waft along with tabla rhythms and the range of stacked embroidered textiles outdoes any tropical sunset. It’s a cozy, safe enclave too: Madras without the madness.”

For more information and to get your reservations in place go here.

And enjoy a great, memorable and professionally rewarding meeting.