For the first time in its history, the 73^rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) – the world’s premier neurology meeting – was held in a fully virtual format from April 17^th to 22^nd 2021

James Stevens, AAN President

The 2021 virtual AAN annual meeting was centred around a rich educational and scientific programme including over 90 expert-led educational courses, more than 2000 scientific abstracts and seven key plenary sessions featuring leaders in neurology.

AAN President James Stevens, Fort Wayne, USA, began this key plenary session with presentation of the President’s Award followed by the Presidential Lecture entitled: ‘Disruption: How to Pivot from Uncertainty to Success - the AAN Story.’ Dr Stevens proposed a focused five-pronged approach to navigating crises such as COVID-19.

Five-pronged approach to navigating crises such as COVID-19.

“What a year it has been - unprecedented does not even begin to describe what we have all been through. We’ve faced uncertainty, exhaustion and challenge but we are emerging stronger, resilient and prepared to face our new future. ”

President James Stevens, Fort Wayne, USA

Orly Avitzur, AAN President-Elect

The 2021 virtual AAN annual meeting was centred around a rich educational and scientific programme including over 90 expert-led educational courses, more than 2000 scientific abstracts and seven key plenary sessions featuring leaders in neurology.

There then followed a brief welcome address by AAN President-Elect Orly Avitzur, Tarrytown, USA, who will be charged with leading the academy over the next two years. As we enter the recovery phase of the pandemic, Dr Avitzur outlined some exciting AAN programmes for the future including an increasing focus on hybrid educational and scientific meetings, studies to support telemedicine and an expanded emphasis on well-being.

On the topic ‘Shattering the clock: should there be a time window for acute stroke intervention?’, Maarten Lansberg, Stanford, USA, advocated in favour of routine use of advanced imaging such as computed tomography (CT) perfusion scans in patients with stroke who present within the 6-hour time window. Adopting this approach in the acute setting can facilitate more accurate diagnosis, accelerated work-up and appropriate selection of patients for thrombolysis and thrombectomy, insisted Dr Lansberg, especially as the Alberta stroke programme early CT (ASPECT) score cannot be entirely relied on for visualisation of the ischaemic core. In response, Jeffrey Saver, Los Angeles, USA, argued that time matters greatly in the acute stroke setting, whereas imaging selection and imaging intra-guidance matter little. Convincing randomised clinical trial evidence shows better outcomes with a time-based versus tissue-based strategy under 6 hours. Patients with large vessel occlusion suspected acute stroke should therefore be transferred directly to the angiography suite and not sent to CT first, Dr Saver concluded.

Hailing this year’s annual meeting as ‘ANN excellence delivered unconventionally’ outgoing President Dr Stevens closed the congress by handing the reins of leadership to the new ANN President Dr Avitzur with the passing of the gavel. Dr Avitzur expressed her hope for an optimistic future with next year’s AAN meeting, due to take place in Seattle, Washington, between the 2^nd and 8^th April 2022, providing the opportunity for members to come back together again in person.