Friday started and ended with a bang! Meeting attendees lined up before dawn to participate in the #IASPDontTurnBack 5K Fun Run along the scenic Las Vegas Strip. Funds raised benefit International Advocates for Spine Patients (IASP), ISASS’ sister organization and patient advocacy arm. Great job, runners and thank you to our 5K sponsors, Aesculap and Spine Wave (Platinum), Zyga (Gold), Spinal Kinetics (Silver), and Intrinsic Therapeutics (Bronze)!

Photo: Participants in the ISASS16 5K Fun Run were lined up before dawn to participate in the event benefitting IASP.

Today’s first session on Innovative Technologies was moderated by Ulrich Berlemann, MD and Jeffrey Goldstein, MD. The data presented at this session segued nicely into the morning symposium, New Technologies — Hype or Incremental Value? hosted by Neel Anand, MD. Presenters argued both for and against select innovative technologies. The presenters inspired lively debate and reminded us all that no ONE technique works in every case — surgeon training, surgeon preference, proper patient diagnosis and proper patient selection are critical.

A brief break on the Exhibit Floor (thank you, exhibitors!) was followed by a session on Biomechanics moderated by Lisa Ferrara, PhD and Leonard Voronov, MD, PhD. The session focused on load, strain, stability, range of motion and sagittal balance.

Photo: ISASS16 attendees on the exhibit floor.

Minimally invasive spine surgery and adult spinal deformity dominated the early afternoon sessions hosted by Yu-Po Lee, MD and Michael Wang, MD and Seok-Woo Kim, MD and Izzy Lieberman, MD, MBA, FRCSC.

The afternoon ended with a symposium focused on spine surgery in a value-based world hosted by ISASS Research Committee Chair, Lisa Ferrara, PhD and ISASS Coding & Reimbursement Task Force Chair, Morgan Lorio, MD, FACS. Paper presenters, the discussion panel and the audience focused on ways surgeons can influence the future of spine. You could definitely feel the passion in the room! ISASS is committed to amplifying the voice of the spine surgeon in our policy and advocacy work.

The day ended with a special session on endoscopic spine surgery and a lecture to prepare for tomorrow’s cadaver lab.

After an exciting three days, ISASS16 came to a close. Our sincere and heartfelt thank you to our members, meeting attendees, exhibitors and meeting sponsors. See you next year for ISASS17 in Boca Raton!