IMAST Abstract Submission *NEW DATES*
Abstract Submission Site Opens: August 1, 2019
Abstract Submission Site Closes: November 1, 2019
27th IMAST - April 1-4, 2020 - Athens, Greece *NEW DATES*
Annual Meeting Abstract Submission
Abstract Submission Site Opens: November 1, 2019
Abstract Submission Site Closes: February 1, 2020
55th Annual Meeting - September 9-12, 2020 - Phoenix, Arizona
All abstract authors will be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, an FDA Disclosure Form, an Attestation and Non-Exclusive Licensing Agreement during the online submission process. In the event that all authors on an abstract have not completed these required forms prior to the submission deadline of November 1, 2019 for IMAST and February 1, 2020 for the Annual Meeting the abstract will NOT be reviewed or considered for inclusion in either the IMAST or Annual Meeting programs. No exceptions will be made.
| August 1, 2019 | Abstract Submission Site Opens for IMAST | |
| November 1, 2019 | Abstract Submission Deadline for IMAST | |
| November 1, 2019 | Abstract Submission Site Opens for Annual Meeting | |
| December 20, 2019 | Abstract Notifications for IMAST | |
| February 1, 2020 | Abstract Submission Deadline for Annual Meeting | |
| April 15, 2020 | Abstract Notifications for Annual Meeting |
27th International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST)
April 1-4, 2020
Athens, Greece
55th Annual Meeting
September 9-12, 2020
Pheonix, Arizona
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO PROGRAMS?
IMAST
Annual Meeting
The 27th IMAST and 55th Annual Meeting will be comprised of the latest science in the field, presented as paper (podium) presentations and E-Posters. Presenters will represent the best of the SRS membership, as well as non-members, from an international group of physicians and researchers. The Scientific Program and E-Posters will be selected by the IMAST and Annual Meeting Program Committees, based on a blinded review of submissions.
The 2020 IMAST and Annual Meeting are open to anyone involved in the treatment of spinal deformities including spine surgeons, residents and fellows, physician assistants, nurses and other allied health professionals, and researchers. The presentations selected from over 1,600 submissions will provide valuable information to all individuals caring for patients with spinal deformities.
Abstracts for both meetings must be submitted online via the SRS website (www.srs.org). Complete instructions for submission are available online. Abstracts may be submitted to either the 27th IMAST, 55th Annual Meeting or to both meetings.
All abstracts must be submitted online by Friday, November 1, 2019 for IMAST. All abstracts must be submitted by Saturday, February 1, 2020 for the Annual Meeting. No exceptions will be made.
All abstracts submitted will be reviewed and graded in blinded fashion by the IMAST and Annual Meeting Program Committees.
For Annual Meeting presentations, A MINIMUM (not average) two-year follow-up is required for all papers except those dealing with innovative methods. No patients with less than a two-year follow-up should be included in author data. One-year follow-up is required for papers submitted to IMAST.
Based upon abstract grading, those selected for the Annual Meeting or IMAST will be assigned to a four-minute oral presentation or E-Poster.
The review process takes approximately 8 weeks, and acceptance notification will be made by email by December 20, 2019 for IMAST and approximately April 15, 2019 for the Annual Meeting.
Annual Meeting- Case Discussions
In addition to submitting abstracts for consideration for podium or poster presentations, authors may submit interesting case studies for the Annual Meeting in Bologna. Abstracts submitted as case studies will only be considered for Case Discussion Sessions, but may be submitted a second time for consideration as podium and poster presentations. Abstracts submitted twice will be eligible to be presented as either a case study or during the main meeting.
Abstracts submitted to the 27th IMAST and/or 55th Annual Meeting must fit into one of the following categories to be considered for presentation:
| Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis | Adult Spinal Deformity |
| Basic Science/Biomechanics/Genetics | Cervical Deformity |
| ‡ Cervical Degenerative/ Reconstruction | Early Onset Scoliosis |
| ‡ Innovative Methods | Kyphosis |
| ‡ Lumbar Degenerative | ‡ Minimally Invasive Surgery |
| Miscellaneous (Spondy, Trauma, Tumor, etc.) | ‡Motion Preservation |
| Neuromuscular/Syndromic Deformity | Non-Op Treatment Methods |
| Quality/Safety/Value/Complications |
‡ IMAST Only Categories
Submission length is limited to 2,250 characters.
Characters in the abstract title, abstract body and table or image caption will be counted (including spaces). Characters in the author and institution listing will not be counted. There is a strict limit of one graph, figure or table to each submitted abstract. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.
Disclosure and Licensing Requirement
All abstract authors will be required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, an FDA Disclosure Form, an Attestation and Non-Exclusive Licensing Agreement during the online submission process. ALL authors listed on an abstract will be required to submit a financial disclosure form, including disclosure of ALL financial relationships, not only those pertaining to the topic of the abstract. In the event that all authors on an abstract have not completed these required forms prior to the submission deadline of February 1, 2019 the abstract will NOT be reviewed or considered for inclusion in either the IMAST or Annual Meeting programs.
The questions regarding study design will be available to the reviewers and may be shown as part of the disclosure slide if the abstract is accepted for presentation. It is highly encouraged these questions be completed when submitting an abstract.
The term “hardware” should not be used in written abstract submissions, oral presentations and E-Poster presentations. The terms “instrumentation,” “implants,” “constructs,” or “montage” should be used instead.
SRS strongly prefers that surgical approaches or specific instrumentation such as “Isola, TSRH, CD, XLIF, DLIF, AxiaLIF, Solera, Vertex, Expedium, Mountaineer, Shilla, VEPTR etc.,” are not used in presentations. These terms should be replaced by a generic description of the instrumentation or technique unless the use of the term directly impacts learners’ understanding of the presentation or data. Instrumentation may also be referred to when the device name is a landmark system that is no longer sold (i.e. Harrington, Cotrel-Dubousset, Luque). Company names and logos must never be used in a presentation.
It is recognized that studies evaluating a device or devices or comparing different devices or techniques may require the use of product or technique names. If a device trade name or industry developed technique using a trademarked name are used in an abstract or presentation, it will be specifically reviewed by the CME Committee for evaluation of any potential conflict of interest. When there is a known potential conflict of interest, an expanded verbal disclosure will be necessary at the time of presentation. Furthermore, if a product name is mentioned, the audience should be informed of why it is necessary to give the name.
Previous Publication or Presentation
Abstracts which have been published in journals, meeting proceedings, or other publication, as well as those presented at meetings prior to the SRS meeting to which authors wish to submit are NOT eligible for submission. Only abstracts that have NOT been previously published or presented are eligible for submission.
Attendance
By submitting an abstract to IMAST and/or the Annual Meeting, abstract authors are agreeing that at least one author will attend the meeting(s) for which the abstract is accepted and will be available to present on the date and at the time assigned by the organizing committees. Authors will be notified of presentation times at the time of or shortly after notification of acceptance and are expected to make appropriate travel arrangements to ensure that at least one of the abstract’s authors will be in attendance. In addition, presenting authors are expected to register to attend the meetings for which they are accepted by the deadline set forth in their acceptance notification. Abstracts for which an author is not pre-registered by the dates set forth with automatically be withdrawn from the program.
Acceptance
All selected authors will be required to complete a formal acceptance process by January 15, 2020 for IMAST or May 15, 2020 for the Annual Meeting to confirm the invitation to participate in the program.
Oral Presentation Cancellation & No-Show Policy
If an author or co-author is not able to attend the meeting to present a paper in person, it is expected that an abstract be withdrawn in advance of the meeting (by February 1, 2020 for IMAST or August 1, 2020 for the Annual Meeting) so that an alternate paper may be substituted. In the case of a “no-show” oral presentation, please note that all authors and co-authors associated with the “no-show” paper will be prohibited from presenting any papers at the next two IMAST or Annual Meetings.
E-Poster Cancellation Policy
At least one author or co-author on all E-Posters are expected to register to attend the meetings for which they are accepted by the deadline set forth in their acceptance notification. If this author cancels their registration prior to the meeting, the E-Poster may be withdrawn from the program.
Advance Presentation Submission Requirement
All presentations must clear a CME review conducted by the SRS CME Committee. Presenters may be required to submit slides for review before the meeting and may be asked to make small or significant changes if a bias issue is found. Failure to address pertinent CME review issues will result in pulling the presentation from the program and a one year ban for abstract presentations and a three-year ban for invited presentations.
Don't forget that ALL authors on an abstract must complete the conflict of interest disclosure information online prior to the submission deadline for the abstract to be reviewed and considered for either program. No exceptions will be made.
