History of the ISSiS

AT THE BEGINNING of the 1990’s, desktop computer technology had become powerful enough to emulate the mainframe systems of only a few years previously, and the ability to use three-dimensional computer graphics had started to become available to the average surgeon, building on the successful work in the early 80’s of the pioneers in this field, Drs Jeffrey L Marsh and Michael W Vannier. It was felt that a forum was needed specifically to address the needs of this growing field, and to help channel energy towards improving existing computer functions in simulation surgery and developing new ones, in addition to improving the hands-on simulative surgical aspects of simulation surgery as practised by plastic and reconstructive surgeons.

    In 1990, the Japan Society for Simulation Surgery (JSSiS) was formed, and two years later the JSSiS hosted an international meeting in Tokyo in December of 1992 during which the International Society for Simulation Surgery was officially formed (ISSiS). The inaugural meeting was held in the Keio University Shonan Fujisawa campus from the 9th to the 11th of December, with a very ambitious programme. The founding members present at the meeting can be seen in the accompanying photograph. [Click HERE]

    In the following years, a strong European faction was in favour of changing the society’s name to the International Society for Computer-Aided Surgery and ISSiS became ISCAS, as it was suggested that this name ‘better reflected the interests of the organization.’ In turn, ISCAS was taken under the wing of the very large computer-aided radiography (CAR) group, and the ‘simulation surgery’ aspect of the society was greatly diminished. Click HERE to see the list of meetings and Presidents. Sadly, the needs of plastic and reconstructive surgeons took second place. The entire concept on which the ISSiS was originally founded therefore became clouded, much more concentrated on imagery and less on the simulative art of the plastic surgeon.