Years of Change: 1979-1984

Membership was the primary focus during these years, and the decision whether to expand the Society to include interventional radiology was debated annually. Eventually, the growth in the number of physicians in the field and the goals of the Society of Cardiovascular Radiology would lead to a change in the Society's name, bylaws, and membership. What was originally a small, select group of individuals began to evolve into a society that would enhance the educational opportunities and the future of cardiovascular and interventional radiologists.

1979
The 1979 annual meeting and course in Puerto Rico signaled a change in the perception of the Society. The Society was now regarded as a major forum for cardiovascular radiology education, and the membership reflected some of the most prolific and respected names in interventional radiology. The debate over membership continued to be an integral part of the members' meeting. Former president Stanley Baum, M.D., describes the "constant pressure to expand the group" and the dilemma the Society faced. "It was originally viewed as elitist, yet members were reluctant to have membership open-ended," Dr. Baum says. "The Society's original fifty members wanted to associate with a small group, and people thought the number should be limited to provide the opportunity to be completely frank about their problems and complications with procedures," he says.

"The Society was small and friendly," founding member Helen Redman, M.D., says. "Membership was limited, and scientific communication was the goal." While Dr. Redman did not anticipate the membership changes, she says they were timely. Emeritus Fellow Gerald Wolf, M.D., who was elected to membership in 1979, describes the elements involved in the decision to increase membership. "The pros were the involvement of the rapidly expanding number of interventionalists and greater clout within the profession," he says. "The cons were the loss of intimacy and exclusivity."

It was suggested that the new president look into the definition of "membership" with particular emphasis on whether an individual had to be a radiologist. At this time, two nonradiologists were members of the Society. The bylaws of the Society were changed for an orderly progression of officers from secretary-treasurer through to the presidency.

"It was an interesting time. Everyone was learning. People had contrast reactions, iatrogenic problems, dissected vessels, we never knew what to do," Dr. Baum says. Dr. Redman says her research at the time concentrated on "pharmacoangiography both for diagnosis and therapy, contrast material research, and new techniques with biliary drainage." During this period, Dr. Wolf concentrated on "the underlying mechanisms of angioplasty, casting doubt on the plaque compaction hypothesis," and involvement in "adjunctive pharmacology for angioplasty - especially the use of nitroglycerin for relief/prevention of spasm." Some of Dr. Wolf's most interesting work was with Dr. Robert LeVeen on the study of PTA versus bypass surgery in peripheral vascular disease, and the development of the rabbit atherosclerosis model with Dr. LeVeen.

The post graduate courses provided an atmosphere of unstifled learning for the physicians. "Through increased learning and learning by and from others we started to understand the pathophysiology of vascular disease. We didn't have CT scans at this time. We had to figure out what these diseases looked like when we came upon them," Dr. Baum says. Dr. Wolf describes the early meetings as "quite exciting" and "groundbreaking," including "a who's who of the front lines."

The question of affiliating with a journal arose, and suggestions included the Journal of Cardiovascular Radiology and the American Journal of Roentgenology. A vote taken during the members' meeting suggested that both journals should be made official journals of the Society. The Journal of Cardiovascular Radiology endorsed the proposal. However, the American Journal of Roentgenology did not. The first proposal to change the Society's name to the Society of Cardiovascular & Interventional Radiology was proposed and defeated. Dr. William Casarella was elected president, and Dr. Mark Wholey was appointed annual meeting chairman.

1980
The 1980 annual course and members' meeting were held February 4-7 in Phoenix, AZ, with 321 individuals attending. The membership of the Society had grown to 66, and while members felt that the Society was fulfilling its role as a vehicle for exchange of scientific information, some felt the group stood for elitism, in that a number of very well qualified angiographers were excluded. In fact, only one applicant was initially elected to membership that year, Dr. Steve Kaufman. Following extensive discussions regarding why only one individual was elected, a mail ballot process was instituted, and an additional three members were elected: Klemens Barth, M.D., Victor Millan, M.D., and James Anderson, Ph.D.

Further investigation into selecting a Society-affiliated journal resulted in approval to approach the American Journal of Roentgenology to be the sole journal affiliated with the Society. Dr. Thomas Meaney was elected president. Dr. Eugene Klatte was appointed as annual meeting program chairman.

1981
In 1981, the Society, in conjunction with the European Society of Cardiovascular Radiology, held the annual meeting in Orlando. The joint meeting was well received by both societies and the possibility of holding another joint meeting in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia, was raised. New topics such as IVC Filter Placement and Internal Ureteral Stenting were presented by Dr. Christos Athanasoulis and Dr. Harry Baltaxe, respectively.

The Members' Meeting was held at Innisbrook, Tarpon Springs, FL. By a vote of the membership, the maximum number of positions in the Society was expanded from 75 to 100. The Society gave final approval to a formal affiliation with the American Journal of Roentgenology and appointed Dr. Charles Tegtmeyer as editor-pro-tem.

Dr. Tegtmeyer was also appointed as program chair. Dr. Andrew Crummy was elected president. The same year, Dr. Charles T. Dotter discussed the status of interventional radiology in his essay "Interventional Radiology - Review of an Emerging Field" in the January issue of Seminars in Roentgenology. Dr. Dotter described the history and current status of vascular occlusive therapy, transluminal angioplasty, radiologically oriented biliary tract therapy, and percutaneous upper urinary tract treatment. In summation, Dr. Dotter stated, "the subsurface visibility provided by present and future medical imaging offers an essential ingredient to progress in this direction, both a challenge and an opportunity to the interventional radiologist."

1982
The 1982 course and meeting were held in Palm Springs CA. By this time the Society had increased in membership to 82. Highlights of the postgraduate course series included digital subtraction angiography, thrombolysis (a.k.a. fibrinolysis in 1982) interface of CT, and angiography, biopsy, and drainage procedures.

Dr. Charles Tegtmeyer reported that only 10 of the 42 abstracts presented at the meeting had been submitted as manuscripts to the affiliated journal. A motion was approved that the Society not submit abstracts from the meeting to the Journal, ending the brief official journal status of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

1983
The 1983 members' meeting and postgraduate course were held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Society membership was still at the forefront of the discussion. The Rules Committee, including Dr. Thomas Sos, chairman, Dr. Don Harrington, and Dr. Charles Higgins submitted a motion, which was approved, to change the membership protocol. A proposal to increase the Society's membership through a two-tiered system, where current members would be made Fellows and a new category of members would include individuals who had angiographic interventional radiology fellowships and were now spending a major portion of their time performing angiography, was presented. A second motion to change the name of the Society to the Society of Cardiovascular & Interventional Radiology was presented, and this time it was accepted. For the first time, MRI (then called MR Imaging) appeared on the program. The Society established its first permanent office in Pittsburgh, PA.

1984
The Society held its 1984 annual members' meeting in Napa Valley, CA, and its annual scientific meeting in San Francisco. It was agreed that all future members' meetings and courses should be held in a single location. Six new members were elected bringing the total to 87 active and 6 associate members. A motion was made and unanimously approved to initiate a named lecture honoring Dr. Charles Dotter.

Source: History of the Society of Cardiovascular radiology 1973-1988 by Dr. Andrew Crummy. Published in: SCVIR News September/October 1997