Preface : Invited Issue Editor, Professor Edward R. Smith, and the Pediatric Vascular Malformations of the Central Nervous System

Article information

J Korean Neurosurg Soc. 2024;67(3):261-264

Publication date (electronic) : 2024 March 5

doi : https://doi.org/10.3340/jkns.2024.0048

Jun Bum Park^1,2,3, Seung-Ki Kim^,1,4

¹Editor of the ‘Pediatric Issue’, Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society, Seoul, Korea

²Chair of Publication Committee, The Korean Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, Seoul, Korea

³Department of Neurosurgery, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Korea

⁴Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Children’s Hospital, Seoul, Korea

Address for correspondence : Seung-Ki Kim Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Children’s Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Korea Tel : +82-2-2072-3084, Fax : +82-2-744-8459, E-mail : nsthomas@snu.ac.kr

Received 2024 February 23; Revised 2024 March 3; Accepted 2024 March 4.

The Korean Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery (KSPN) published its journal, the Korean Journal of Pediatric Neurosurgery (KJPN), in 2004. KJPN was operated in a mixed Korean/English language and had contributed significantly to sharing and disseminating clinical experience in pediatric neurosurgery. However, due to the limited number of KSPN members, the number of submitted manuscripts was not sufficient. Moreover, they faced many difficulties in competing for manuscript publication with child’s nervous system, which has been approved as an official journal of KSPN since 1998. In September 2014, KJPN closed its last issue with Volume 11, Issue 1.

KSPN replaced KJPN and has been publishing the Pediatric Issue as a supplement to the Journal of the Korean Neurosurgical Society (JKNS), the official journal of the Korean Neurosurgical Society, since 2015. ‘JKNS : Pediatric Issue’ is published annually in May to commemorate Korea’s Children’s Day on the 5th, featuring the cover of JKNS for that month. 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the publication of JKNS : Pediatric Issue. This journal has published over 10 review articles on specific topics (Table 1) and has welcomed eight world-renowned scholars in the field of pediatric neurosurgery as invited editors (Fig. 1). JKNS : Pediatric Issue contributes to improving the academic level of JKNS as well as pediatric neurosurgery.

Table 1.

Contents of JKNS : Pediatric Issue (2015 to 2024)

Fig. 1.

The invited editors of the Journal of Korean Neurosurgery Society : Pediatric Issue. From top left to bottom right : Joon-Ki Kang, Joong-Uhn Choi, James T. Rutka, Byung-Kyu Cho, Dachling Pang, Kyu-Chang Wang, Young Soo Park, and Edward R. Smith.

The topic of the 2024 JKNS : Pediatric Issue is ‘pediatric vascular malformations of central nervous system (CNS)’, which was organized by the issue’s invited editor, professor Edwards R. Smith, a world-famous pioneer in the field (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2.

Portrait of Professor Edward R. Smith.

Professor Smith’s training included an undergraduate education at Dartmouth College and medical school at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his surgical internship and neurosurgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. This was followed by a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at the Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School program, and an NIH-funded postdoctoral training in the Vascular Biology Program with Dr. Marsha Moses. He is a professor at Harvard Medical School and the R. Michael Scott endowed chair in neurosurgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. He serves as the co-director of the Cerebrovascular Surgery and Interventions Center and vice-chair of the #1-ranked department of pediatric neurosurgery in the USA. Additionally, he leads a translational research laboratory in the vascular biology program, focusing on the development of non-invasive biomarkers and novel therapies for brain tumors and stroke. He heads one of the largest pediatric cerebrovascular programs in the country, and innovations from his research and clinical efforts have been incorporated in current national guidelines, with the goal of improving patient outcomes.

The articles in this JKNS : Pediatric Issue (pediatric vascular malformations of CNS) will undoubtedly provide readers with current concepts and future management for pediatric vascular malformations. Leading clinicians in the field from USA, UK, and Korea contributed eight articles, and worldclass scholars participated in the writing of this JKNS : Pediatric Issue.

Dr. Se Hoon Kim (pathologist, Korea) wrote a pathological review of vascular malformation of the CNS in children with diagram, and Dr. Ji Hye Kim (radiologist, Korea) summarized neuroimaging of pediatric cerebral vascular malformations. Dr. Adikarige Haritha Dulanka Silva from UK reviewed the natural history and clinical manifestation of pediatric arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). For the treatment of pediatric vascular malformation, Dr. Edward Smith summarized the treatment of pediatric AVMs and Dr. Ji Hoon Phi (Korea) summarized the clinical features and treatment of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs). Dr. Hyun-Seung Kang (Korea) reviewed the vein of Galen malformation (VOGM). Dr. Alfred Pokmeng See from USA summarized the scalp and facial vascular malformations in children.

We deeply appreciate the brilliant minds that have actively participated in the publication of the 2024 JKNS : Pediatric Issue. Through this JKNS : Pediatric Issue, we hope that many doctors who face and treat the patient suffered from AVMs, CCMs, and VOGM will acquire basic and up-to-date knowledge about pediatric vascular malformations. We also hope that these small efforts will help improve the outcome of children with cerebral vascular malformations.