Meeting Report: American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)

Published:

Key Points

  • The first in-person AANS Annual Meeting since 2019 was held in Philadelphia April 29—May 2.
  • Seven sessions included focused ultrasound topics.
  • We thank Vibhor Krishna, MD, for his assistance with this meeting report.

The 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) was held in Philadelphia April 29—May 2. It was the first in-person AANS annual meeting since 2019. As the largest gathering of neurosurgeons in the nation, the meeting features the field’s latest research and technological advances. It is attended by neurosurgeons, neurosurgical residents, medical students, neuroscience nurses, clinical specialists, physician assistants, allied health professionals, and other medical professionals.

“There was a lot of engagement and excitement in the neurosurgical community toward transcranial focused ultrasound. The presentations were informative and reached a large audience,” said Vibhor Krishna, MD, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, a focused ultrasound expert who conducts translational neuroimaging research to optimize the technique of focused ultrasound and improve patient outcomes. “Several mechanisms (ablation, blood-brain barrier opening) and various applications of the technology were discussed, including movement disorders, neuropathic pain, and epilepsy.”

The seven sessions that included focused ultrasound topics are listed below.

Thursday, April 28

  • Practical Clinic 103: Minimally Invasive Lesioning: LITT, HIFU, and RF

Sunday, May 1

  • Report from the 2019 Kline Research Awardees: Focused Ultrasound and Microbubble Utilization for Reversible Opening and Disruption of the Blood-nerve-barrier by Daniel Umansky and Rajiv Midha

Monday, May 2

  • Focused Energy Treatments and Ultrasound by Ali Rezai
  • Session I: State of the Art Ablation included presentations from Rees Cosgrove, Jin Woo Chang, and Vibhor Krishna.
  • A Randomized Trial of MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Bilateral Medial Thalamotomies for Chronic Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain by Mariam Ishaque
  • Focused Ultrasound Technology: A Paradigm Shift in Neurosurgery by Kullervo Hynynen
  • Focused Ultrasound is a Better Therapy and Will Replace Gamma Knife for Movement Disorders (Pro and Con) by Rees Cosgrove and Douglas Kondziolka

We thank Dr. Krishna for his assistance with this meeting report.