Neuromodulation and Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery are the most exciting and fast growing fields of all biological/medical sciences. These two areas overlap in many ways. Many diseases affecting the nervous system produce permanent biochemical and/or structural damage and consequent malfunctioning of this system, manifested through a variety of signs and symptoms. Functional Neurosurgery is the field of surgical neurology dedicated to the restoration of the altered function. One of the main tools to achieve this goal is stereotaxis, a minimally invasive technique more commonly used for brain surgery that allows the tridimensional localization and approach of any point (target) inside the space delimited by the stereotactic frame. Once the malfunctioning structure has been determined, it needs to be treated, which can be done through radiofrequency lesioning, radiosurgery, or neuromodulation, the best techniques currently available.
Neuromodulation is a means to alter nervous system activity through the delivery of electrical stimulation or chemical agents to the dysfunctional structures of the central or peripheral nervous system. The targets to be treated may be located inside or outside the central nervous system. Those located in the brain and spinal cord are approached exclusively by neurosurgeons. However, many targets are located outside the central nervous system. Some examples are peripheral nerves, epidural space, and subarachnoid space, among others. Such cases are treated not only by neurosurgeons, but also by anesthesiologists practicing pain, neurologists, urologists, cardiologists, gastroenterologists, physiatrists, and vascular surgeons.
The indications for neuromodulation are steadily increasing day after day. This fact, together with the still poor understanding of the mechanisms of neuromodulation, have attracted a number of other professionals to this field, such as basic scientists, psychiatrists, nurses, biomedical engineers, and people from the industry dedicated to the development and production of the apparatus necessary for neuromodulation.
As one can easily infer from the aforementioned data, neuromodulation is an entirely independent multidisciplinary new specialty. Some colleagues, pioneers in recognizing this fact, created in 1989 the International Neuromodulation Society – INS.
As expected for such a growing field, chapters of the INS have been created all around the world. Currently, there are already 15 active chapters and many others under formation. In Latin America, there are two chapters – Brazilian and Argentinean.
The Brazilian chapter (Brazilian Neuromodulation Society – SBNM) was founded on May 18, 2007, during the I International Joint Meeting on Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery & 8th Congress of the Brazilian Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, at Rio Quente Resorts, which I had the enormous honor to preside. Present at the foundation session was Elliot Krames, then president of INS. The following officers were elected: Eduardo Barreto, president; Osvaldo Vilela Filho, vice-president; and Alexandre Francisco, secretary. Since then, the Brazilian Chapter has organized two meetings, the first in Rio de Janeiro and the second in Porto de Galinhas. During the second meeting, Osvaldo Vilela Filho was appointed president of the Brazilian chapter, who chose the following officers to compose the board of directors: Luiz Fernando Martins, vice-president, and Tiago Freitas, secretary.
The Argentinean chapter (Argentinean Neuromodulation Society – SANE) was created on August 18, 2009. On this occasion, the first directory of the SANE was elected: Fabián Piedimonte, president; Juan Carlos Andreani, vice-president; Fabián Cremaschi, secretary; Pablo Graff, treasurer; Camilo Giambiagi, pro-secretary; Noemi Rosenfeld, notary secretary; and Juan Pablo Puente, executive director. On November 6, 2009, the Argentinean chapter realized its first meeting at the Medical School of Buenos Aires University.
Functional neurosurgeons from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, and to a minor degree, also those from Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, have been very well connected for a long time. Since Brazil and Argentina are the only ones among these countries to have created the chapters of the International Neuromodulation Society – INS, we have decided to organize the I Joint Meeting Brazil/Argentina on Neuromodulation, which we hope will be an outstanding meeting.
Osvaldo Vilela Filho, MD, PhD
President, Brazilian Neuromodulation Society
Member, International Neuromodulation Society (INS) Board
Member, World Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (WSSFN) Board of Directors
Chairman, Psychiatric Surgery Committee, WSSFN
Past-president, Brazilian Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery
Secretary, Latin American Society for Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery