Why a World Federation of Neuroradiology Societies?

I n our rapidly evolving world, neuroradiology already has a past and a palpable story. The first neuroradiologic examinations were invasive and date back to the early 20th century. The first Symposium Neuroradiologicum was organized 79 years ago. Since then, neuroradiology has progressed with dynamism but without acquiring recognition as a true specialty worldwide. Objectively speaking, neuroradiology is scientifically strong but politically weak. It is possible that some of our current difficulties are due to the different backgrounds of the individuals wishing to practice neuroradiology (notably inter-ventional neuroradiology) and to the large variety of practices that exist. Indeed, our training is extremely varied: If in many countries, radiology remains the traditional way to access neu-roradiology, in many other countries, and especially for the therapeutic field, neurosurgery is the predominant way. This variability is also obvious in the background of individuals practicing in other subspecialties, such as pediatric neuroradi-ology, functional imaging, spine imaging, and head and neck radiology. These subspecialties are important because given the rapid progress that characterizes our time, it is impossible to master all aspects of neuroradiology. It is now that the importance of the World Federation of Neuroradiology Societies (WFNRS) is most critical. Founded in Kumamoto in 1994, thanks to the energy and will of Derek Harwood Nash, the WFNRS aims to facilitate the worldwide development of neuroradiology. This objective is ambitious because the organization of neuroradiology in the United States has, in reality, little in common with the organization of neuroradiology in China, Russia, or Africa. We, therefore, need to think globally at all stages, from basic training to continuous medical education, practice, and accreditation and, at the same time, to evaluate our relationships with other specialties. Organization of training often means confining ourselves to the basic framework of the specialty, which remains radiology based. In all countries, physicians are conservative; this fact limits embracing new avenues. Few understand that the current organization of medical specialties is a century old; the last century was a period during which concepts and techniques have dramatically changed. How can we imagine that it is reasonable to continue to do our work within structures that were created in a totally different environment? It is urgent to adapt our structures to new realities. Adaptation means letting older structures evolve and changing them. This is a difficult task due to individual interests. Only by grouping our effort and expertise and supporting and …