The Formative Years: 1973-1978

The inception years of any society are often fraught with frustration, lack of clarity, and general disorganization. Luckily, the Society of Cardiovascular & Interventional Radiology (SCVIR) began as the clear concept of Dr Stanley Baum at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1973, Dr Baum conceived the idea of having a society devoted to the radiologic study of cardiovascular disease.

Following the organization meeting at Massachusetts General Hospital, a follow-up meeting was held at the Radiological Society of North America meeting. On May 11, 1974, during the Association of University Radiologists' meeting, the Society of Cardiovascular Radiology was formed. Dr. Baum and Dr. Chris Athanasoulis were elected president and secretary-treasurer respectively.

Founding member William Casarella, M.D., describes the first meetings as "a wonderful format." The meetings consisted of "a small group of 30-50 people who met around a U-shaped table, and everyone presented their new material." Dr. Casarella's strongest memory from the Society's first five years is the "exchange of ideas between people who were doing similar things and, in particular, the development of great friendships."

Former president and founding member P. Ruben Koehler, M.D., echoes Dr. Casarella's views on the first meetings. "The collegiality and friendship of the early small group and essentially the fact that everybody knew everyone made these meetings the highlight of the academic year," he says. Dr. Koehler remembers that the early meetings provided "the ability to have long and open discussions involving everyone who attended."

An increase in the size of the Society reflected the expansion of the field of angiography, "the response to changes in medicine," and the "political" implications evident at the time. "The thought that a club of 50 to 75 members had little or no impact while a society of between 1000-2000 could have some impact" fueled a change in the character of the Society, Koehler says. Whereas procedures and interventions such as PTA, Biliary Interventions, Stents, or TIPS were important, "the formation of the Society itself essentially created a new subspecialty namely angiography and later interventional radiology," says Dr. Koehler.

The Society's first annual scientific meeting was held in Key Largo, FL, in 1975, where topics of interest included incorporation and the Society's development. Under the guidance of the Membership Committee, chaired by Dr. Morton Bosniak, the Committee recommended criteria for membership in the Society dependent upon: the candidate (a) spend 50 percent or more of his/her time doing or supervising cardiovascular procedures, (b) be at least 3 years past residency, (c) have made significant published contributions on cardiovascular subjects, (d) show continuing interest in cardiovascular radiology by current work in the field (articles, lectures, and so forth), and (e) have demonstrated interest and ability in cardiovascular radiology such that two members of the Society were willing to support the nomination in writing. There was much discussion regarding these qualifications, and talks continued until a two-tiered membership was adopted in 1986. Drs. Baum and Athanasoulis were re-elected president and secretary-treasurer.

The first postgraduate course was held during the 1976 Annual Meeting in Puerto Rico. There were 177 people attending. The membership of the Society at this time had reached 47. Dr. Koehler was elected president. The membership voted that a committee should be appointed to look into the matter of setting criteria for training programs in cardiovascular radiology. Discussion of a Society affiliated journal arose, and Dr. Klaus Ranninger said that planning was underway for publication of a new journal, Cardiovascular Radiology. Ten new members were admitted to the Society.

In 1977, Newport Beach, CA, was the location for the annual meeting. Membership was up to 57, and attendance at the meeting rose to 190. Dr. Stewart R. Reuter was elected president and Dr Bosniak president elect. The postgraduate course was a strong success, especially considering the fiasco of the previous year. Interventional procedures that were new to the program included: angioplasty, non-surgical splenectomy, adrenaletomy, extravascular techniques for drainage, removal of common duct stenosis and intravascular foreign bodies. Point Clear, AL, was the site for the 1978 Members' Meeting, and New Orleans was the location of the Postgraduate Course. Forty-six of the 62 members attended the meeting, and five new members were elected. Guest speaker Andreas Grüntzig, M.D., presented material on percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Dr. Renate Soulen described the procurement of Dr. Grüntzig as "quite a catch." Dr. Bosniak was elected president, and Dr. Casarella was elected president-elect. Source: History of the Society of Cardiovascular Radiology 1973 - 1988 by Dr. Andrew Crummy. Published in: SCVIR News July/August 1997