The inaugural SCIONCON 2023 commenced with a preconference workshop on November 24th at the Park Clinic, Kolkata, offering an IONM course for beginners. Dr. Sandip Chatterjee introduced the event, followed by talks covering diverse topics. Sandip Chatterjee discussed the necessity of IONM, Anandh Balasubramaniam elaborated on MEP recording techniques, V.R. Roopesh Kumar explained SSEP and its recording, and Ashok Jaryal delved into the role of EMG in monitoring. Practical sessions included hands-on equipment demonstrations in groups.

Topics on the first day spanned multimodality monitoring, cortical phase reversal, subcortical monitoring, spinal cord tumor monitoring, the basis of anesthesia for IONM and its complications. Notable speakers included Ali Asgar Moiyadi, Arjun Shankar Dasgupta, Partho Goswami, Neelakshi, Arulvelan, Ashok Jaryal, Ali Asgar Moiyadi, K. Srinivasa Babu, and K. V. Parthiban.

Day 2, hosted at Vedic Village, Kolkata, featured sessions chaired by experts such as K. Srinivasa Babu, Anand B, Gopala Krishna K N, Samarendranath Ghosh, Tapas Kumar Banerjee, Manoj Bhattacharya, and Rajshri Deopujari. Topics ranged from awake craniotomy, intra-operative brain mapping, and MEP monitoring in brain tumors to skull base and vascular surgeries. Spine-related discussions included spinal cord mapping techniques, multimodal spine monitoring, technical nuances of D wave monitoring, and insights into degenerative spine surgery and pediatric spine surgery. The anesthesia and IONM session covered various aspects, including considerations during neurosurgery, processed EEG-based monitors, challenges in the pediatric population, and discussions on the necessity of IONM for all cases.

Day 2, hosted at Vedic Village, Kolkata, featured sessions chaired by experts such as K. Srinivasa Babu, Anand B, Gopala Krishna K N, Samarendranath Ghosh, Tapas Kumar Banerjee, Manoj Bhattacharya, and Rajshri Deopujari. Topics ranged from awake craniotomy, intra-operative brain mapping, and MEP monitoring in brain tumors to skull base and vascular surgeries. Spine-related discussions included spinal cord mapping techniques, multimodal spine monitoring, technical nuances of D wave monitoring, and insights into degenerative spine surgery and pediatric spine surgery. The anesthesia and IONM session covered various aspects, including considerations during neurosurgery, processed EEG-based monitors, challenges in the pediatric population, and discussions on the necessity of IONM for all cases.

Complications and avoidance were explored, with speakers such as Thamizh Maran Parthiban, Nilay Biswas, K. Srinivasa Babu, Sajo Thomas, and Prabhuraj.

Day 2 also delved into the present and future of IONM, covering topics like cost-effectiveness, AI, and the vision of SION in India, with insights from Harish Chandra B, J Rajesh, and Sandip Chatterjee.

At the end of day two, General body meeting was held.

Day 3 featured a symposium on brain software monitoring, functional neurosurgery discussions, and a panel discussion on the training of neurotechnologists. The panel, moderated by Sandip Chatterjee, included K. Srinivasa Babu, Ashok Jaryal, Parthiban, Sunitha Iyer, and Sajeesh. Case vignettes presented by speakers like Subhas Konar, Navdeep Ahuja, and Thamizh Maran highlighted the importance of neuromonitoring in various cases, including brain stem glioma and outcomes of direct electrical stimulation with awake craniotomy.

The conference concluded with a valedictory function and a lunch session at 2 PM. The comprehensive three-day event provided attendees with valuable insights into Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring, covering technical aspects, challenges, and future perspectives.

TOPICS COVERED IN THE SCIONCON 2023-KOLKOTA