London is one of the World’s most magical and enchanting of cities. It is a great pleasure therefore for us to invite you to this venue to attend the WENMISS 2007/2008 to be held here between 12 January 2008  to 14 January 2008.

Surgery, as an art and a science, has been practised for millennia. The 20th Century
however produced an unprecedented blossoming of the subject. Out of this transformation has emerged a vast pool of knowledge and a plethora of surgical techniques which are still evolving, not more so than in spinal surgery.

During this expansion it has been noted that techniques to limit the size of the incision are of benefit to our patients, in as much as they reduce postoperative pain and aid rehabilitation. This nevertheless is not without controversy as the corollary is that these techniques limit visualization of the surgical field, making the operation more difficult and generating greater risk to the patient during the procedure.

To counter this the number of tools developed by clinicians and by the industry, for this purpose, has reached an extent almost beyond overview. New techniques of minimal invasive/interventional surgery, endoscopy aided spinal surgery and computer assisted spinal surgery have significantly reduced perioperative complications, rehabilitation time and treatment costs.

The theme of this meeting is ‘Improving the Accuracy and Safety of Surgery’, using these new techniques.

We feel that the WENMISS 2007/8 Congress will be beneficial to all: participants, sponsors and exhibitors alike, and that its success will be ensured with your involvement. It was unfortunate that the proposed date had to be changed due to unforeseen circumstances but we are sure that the amended date will be suitable for everyone.

We look forward to seeing you at this exciting event.

With best regards

Alan Hammer FRCS
Congress Chairman WENMISS  2007 / 2008