June 25, 2026, Thursday
07:00 – 07:50 AM
Breakfast Symposium (Sponsored by Metrum)
8:00-9:00 AM
Session 3a – Contemporary Clinical Pain Practice
Moderator: Renier Mendez, MD, FIPP (Puerto Rico)
07:50-08:00 AM
08:00 – 08:15 AM
08:15 – 8:30 AM
08:30 – 08:45 AM
08:45 - 09:00 AM
Welcome Remarks & Opening Ceremony
LAPS Executive Board
The Burden of Chronic Pain in Latin America: Clinical and Economic Perspectives
Mario Paz Mazón, MD, MSc, MBA (Ecuador)
Redefining Pain Diagnosis: From Anatomy to Mechanisms
Renier Mendez, MD, FIPP (Puerto Rico)
Clinical Pearls for Efficient Pain Assessment in Daily Practice
Flor Montenegro, MD, FIPP (Peru)
Panel discussion: The practice of pain: are we surviving or thriving?
Moderator: Renier Mendez, MD, FIPP (Puerto Rico)
Panelists: Mario Paz Mazón, MD, MSc, MBA (Ecuador), Flor Montenegro, MD, FIPP (Peru), Carlos Guerrero, MD, FIPP (Colombia), Annie Pinto, MD (Venezuela)
9:00-10:05 AM
Session 3b – Evolving Standard of Care
Moderator: Patrick Ogeerally, MD, FIPP (Venezuela)
09:00 – 09:15 AM
09:15 – 09:30 AM
9:30-9:45 AM
09:45 – 10:05 AM
10:05 – 10:30 AM
Standards of care in Neuromodulation: Patient Selection and Guidelines
Tiago Freitas, MD, PhD, FIPP (Brazil)
When to Consider Advanced Therapies in the Pain Care Continuum
Juan Pablo Paladino, MD, FIPP (Argentina)
Optimizing Neuromodulation Outcomes: Programming Strategies
Carlos Guerrero, MD, FIPP (Colombia)
Keynote Lecture: Gurtej Singh, MD (USA)
Restoring function: the intersection of Regenerative Medicine, Neuromodulation, and MIS procedures
Coffee Break & Poster viewing
10:30 – 11:30 AM
Session 4a – Targeting Axial Spinal Pain
Moderator: Leandro Braun, MD, FIPP (Brazil)
10:30 – 10:45 AM
10:45 – 11:00 AM
11:00 – 11:15 AM
11:15 – 11:30 AM
Lumbar Discogenic Pain: Therapeutic Options
Manuel Herrero, MD, FIPP, CIPS (Spain)
Facet and SIJ mediated pain: Cryo vs. RF Neurolysis
Guillermo Lopez, MD (Ecuador)
Knee and Hip Joint Neurolysis: RFA vs. Pulsed RFA
Carlos Monroy, MD, CIPS (Mexico)
Panel Discussion: Clinical Controversies in Low Back Pain Diagnosis
Moderator: Leandro Braun, MD, FIPP (Brazil)
Panelists: Manuel Herrero, MD, FIPP, CIPS (Spain); Guillermo Lopez, MD (Ecuador); Carlos Monroy, MD, CIPS (Mexico)
11:30 AM– 12:30 PM
Session 4b – Endoscopic Spine
Moderator: Maria Constanza Bedoya, MD (Colombia)
11:30-11:40 AM
11:40-11 :50 PM
11:50-12:00 PM
12:00-12:10 PM
12:10-12:30 PM
Spinal Endoscopy: Risk and Complications
Jose Name, MD (Colombia)
Endoscopic Discectomy Approaches
Diego Gomez, MD (Colombia)
Endoscopic Rhizotomy : Facet vs. SI Joint
Didier Demesmin, MD, MBA (USA)
Controversies of Endoscopic Lumbar Spine Surgery in the Management of Lumbar Pathology
Maria Constanza Bedoya, MD (Colombia)
Panel Discussion: Endoscopic Spine reduces FBSS
Moderator: Maria Constanza Bedoya, MD (Colombia)
Panelists: Diego Gomez, MD (Colombia); Didier Demesmin, MD, MBA (USA); Jose Name, MD (Colombia)
12:30 – 1:30 PM
Lunch Break
1:30 – 6:00 PM
ISPN–LAPS Collaboration
1:30 – 2:35 PM
Session 5a - MIS- Sacroiliac Joint Pain
Moderator: Dawood Sayed, MD (USA)
1:30-1:45 PM
1:45-2:00 PM
2:00-2:15 PM
2:15-2:35 PM
Interventions for SI joint : Anatomy and Techniques
Víctor Silva, MD, FIPP, CIPS (Mexico)
Patient Selection for SI Fusions and Clinical Outcome
Jonathan Carlson, MD (USA)
Complications and Learning Curve
Doug Beall, MD, FIPP (USA)
Keynote: Dawood Sayed, MD (USA)
Changing the Therapeutic Landscape of SI joint Pain
2:35 – 3:30 PM
Session 5b – MIS – SI Joint
fusion Approaches
Moderator: Kasra Amirdelfan, MD (USA)
2:35-2:50 PM
2:50-3:05 PM
3:05-3:20 PM
3:20-3:35 PM
3:35 – 4:00 PM
Posterior Approach : Allograft vs Metal Implant (15 min)
Pankaj Mehta, MD (USA)
Posterolateral Approaches (15 min)
Mayank Gupta, MD (USA)
Lateral Fusion Strategies (15 min)
Jackie Weisbein, MD
The Best Evidence for SI Joint Fusions (15 min)
Kasra Amirdelfan, MD (USA)
Coffee Break & Poster viewing
4:00-5:00 PM
Session 6a – Spinal Instability & Axial Back Pain
Moderator: Pankaj Mehta, MD (USA)
4:00-4:15 PM
4:15-4:30 PM
4:30-4:45 PM
4:45-5:05 PM
Facet Fusion
Didier Demesmin, MD, MBA (USA)
Interspinous “ZEEP” Fusion
Pankaj Mehta, MD (USA)
Posterolateral & Direct Arthrodesis Using MIS
Ashley Bailey Classen, MD (USA)
Keynote: Gregory Moore, MD (USA)
Intracept for Vertebrogenic Pain
5:00 – 6:00 PM
Session 6b - Current Evidence: Sacroiliac
Joint Fusions and Lumbar MIS
Moderator: Timothy Deer, MD, FIPP (USA)
5:05-5:15 PM
5:15-5:30 PM
5:30-5:40 PM
5:40-5:55 PM
5:55-6:15 PM
6:15-7:00 PM
Evidence for Sacroiliac Joint Fusions
Dawood Sayed, MD (USA) and Doug Beall, MD, FIPP (USA)
Panel Discussion: Review of the Evidence for SI Joint Fusions
Moderator: Dawood Sayed, MD (USA)
Evidence for Lumbar MIS
Timothy Deer, MD, FIPP (USA) and Pankaj Mehta, MD (USA)
Panel Discussion: Review of the Evidence for MIS Lumbar Spine
Keynote Lecture: Timothy Deer, MD, FIPP (USA)
The Future: MIS or Neuromodulation
Welcome Reception (Sponsored by ISPN)