Key Points
- The 5th Yangtze International Summit of Minimally Invasive and Noninvasive Medicine was held July 8–9, 2023, at the Jinke Grand Hotel in Chongqing, China.
- More than 500 participants attended the summit, which covered a wide range of topics from gynecology to cancer treatment.
- Foundation Chairman Neal F. Kassell, MD, delivered a virtual keynote address.
The International Society of Minimally Invasive and Virtual Surgery (ISMIVS) held its 5th Yangtze International Summit of Minimally Invasive and Noninvasive Medicine July 8–9, 2023, at the Jinke Grand Hotel in Chongqing, China. The event was co-hosted by Chongqing Medical University, the State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, and the National Research Center for Medicine Ultrasonic Medicine and Engineering.
More than 500 attendees, many of whom were doctors from China and Taiwan – and about 120 from overseas – participated in the summit. David Cranston, MB, ChB, Phil, associate professor of surgery at the University of Oxford and consultant urological surgeon at Oxford University Hospitals NHS, is the president of ISMIVS.
The two-day event was packed with presentations and case studies shared by focused ultrasound practitioners using ultrasound-guided devices, specifically from Chongqing HAIFU. While a large portion of the conference focused on obstetrics and gynecology indications, it also covered subjects such as liver cancer and pancreatic cancer.
Foundation Chairman Neal F. Kassell, MD, delivered a virtual keynote address during which he shared the status of focused ultrasound and the Foundation’s role in helping to advance the technology to impact patient lives. His video also featured a Parkinson’s disease patient whose life was changed by focused ultrasound.
“The event was very impressive,” said Jessica Che-yi Chao, MBA, the Foundation’s Chief Advisor of Asia, who attended in person. “I was able to meet with several leaders in the field from industry and research and introduced the Focused Ultrasound Foundation to them.”
Jessica also spoke with China News Service about the role of the Foundation. She said, “The Focused Ultrasound Foundation is committed to promoting this noninvasive medical treatment technology. We provide funds, professional guidance, and all kinds of assistance to institutions in need. We especially look forward to establishing communication and cooperation channels with medical institutions and focused ultrasound-related personal in China.”
Shayan Moosa, MD, a neurosurgeon from the University of Virginia also traveled to Chongqing to participate in the summit.
Two workshops were also offered before the summit:
- Industry leader Chongqing HAIFU held a three-day, hands-on high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) workshop for 20 participants to learn the working principles and operation techniques of this innovative technology.
- ISMIVS held a one-day workshop on clinical research methodology. It was led by Qiuling Shi, MD, PhD, an assistant professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center and a vice director at the National Engineering Research Center of Ultrasound Medicine in China.
The vision of ISMIVS is to accelerate the development of minimally invasive and noninvasive medicine through the clinical research, training, academic communications, and international collaborations.