nuclear cardiology's future
The First International Conference of Nuclear Cardiology (ICNC-I) occurred in Cannes, France, in April 1993. This meeting was conceived of and implemented by a relatively small group who thought that the field had matured sufficiently to justify a large meeting, on an international basis, focusing entirely on nuclear cardiology. The planning and performance of that meeting proceeded with excitement and anxiety. That meeting was well received and indicated that there clearly was a need, and that the need had been filled.
On the basis of this experience, it was believed that a regularly occurring international meeting representing nuclear cardiology would be a most appropriate and valued asset for the field. This past April the second such meeting, ICNC-II, took place. This meeting marked administratively a move from the ad hoc endeavors of a small group to the standardization and institutionalization of the process. The conference, undertaken as a joint venture between ASNC and the Nuclear Cardiology and Magnetic Resonance Working Group of the European Society of Cardiology, went a long way toward establishing a firm basis and structure for future meetings.
It is worth highlighting some of the substantial positives of ICNC-II. More than 1100 delegates, representing 49 countries, participated in the meeting. This represents a significant increase when compared with ICNC-I. Eight countries were represented by 50 or more registrants. These included Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States. Approximately 500 original research studies were presented, both as oral presentations and posters. All accepted original presentations were published in a supplement to this Journal. There was an extensive structured program involving plenary and core curriculum lectures, controversies, and smaller "meet the experts" sessions. There was a superb petition for the Young Investi-