THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE scientific and educational programs of the Joint Annual Meeting of the ISMRM and the ESMRMB typically begin one and a half to two years prior to the meeting date. During the preparation phase of the 2007 meeting in Berlin, Thomas Grobner and others described a possible relationship between gadolinium containing MRI contrast agents and a new disease-nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF)-a disease previously unrecognized and unknown to radiologists and other MR users. Further reports soon surfaced. Within the span of a few months, NSF became a major challenge to MRI practitioners. We were faced with a potentially very serious adverse reaction as a complication of our daily practice, yet there was no solid evidence about its etiology, pathogenesis, or risk factors.
Because of the importance of NSF to the MRI community, the Annual Meeting Program Committee decided well after the usual "no further changes date" (in January 2007) that it was necessary to provide a forum for this important topic during the upcoming Annual Meeting. The Annual Program Committee felt it was necessary to organize a session that would provide the most up-to-date information possible from experts on the topic, and to hear first-hand expert opinions on the nature of the disease, risk factors, and suggestions for modifications of clinical practice to mitigate potential complications of contrast agent usage. The Committee wanted ISMRM members to hear from experts to gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease, to explore possible legal consequences in the countries of its members, and to discuss and recommend future scientific investigations.
Despite the very short time frame available to organize the NSF forum, we were delighted that we were able to recruit the world's top experts from all relevant disciplines, including pathology, radiology, and nephrology, as well as representatives of the European Union's regulatory agency-the European Medicines Agency (EMEA). The two-hour session, held on May 22, proved to be very timely and highly informative. This session was recorded in its entirety. It is available on the ISMRM web site, at http://cds.ismrm.org/protected/ NSF.
The topics and presenters were as follows: