HealthManagement, Volume 13 - Issue 2, 2013

Author

Ciara Madden

Cardiovascular and Interventional

Radiological Society of Europe

Vienna, Austria

 

The CIRSE Annual Meeting has long been a central hub for anyone with a professional interest in imageguided, minimally invasive medicine; interventional radiology (IR). The meeting attracts a spectrum of participants as extensive as the discipline itself, from interventional radiologists to vascular surgeons, nursing staff and radiographers, as well as medical students, at both post-graduate and undergraduate level.

 

Catering for Everyone

To accommodate the needs of these diverse interest groups, a range of session types are organised. For less experienced delegates, such as medical students and the recently qualified, Foundation Courses and Workshops offer a good grounding in the A-Z of certain procedures or diseases.

 

For established practitioners, more in-depth opportunities for medical advancement are provided. The results of latest trials and current best practice areimparted at special sessions;hands on workshops allow for targeted practice; industry updates can be obtained at Satellite Symposia and a state-of-the-art technical exhibition ;and rigorous debate is facilitated at various discussion forums, such as the new Evidence Fora, Interactive Case Sessions and the highly regarded Morbidity and Mortality Conference.

 

Covering the Full Spectrum

As well as catering for a mix of abilities and learning approaches, CIRSE also strives to ensure balanced coverage of the many areas of clinical interest. To this end, the scientific programme features six key tracks, which aid attendees in selecting the sessions of most relevance to their practice:

Vascular interventions;

Intreventional oncology;

Transcatheter embolisation;

Neuro interventions;

Non-vascular interventions; and

IR Management

 

Tackling Burning Issues

The congress will also host two Hot Topics Symposia debating up-andcoming IR therapies, which are yet to become widely performed and thus lack strong clinical guidelines as how to best be incorporated into a hospital’s care plan. In order to ascertain the clinical indications and collaboration needed for these procedures, renowned experts will give their personal experiences, assessing the data that is already available and outlining best-practice scenarios.

 

Stroke Therapy

One such hot topic is Intra-arterial stroke management should this be an IR procedure? Given the rising incidenceof stroke amongst Europe’s ageingpopulation, rapid access to the mostadvanced and effective treatments is ofgreat importance. IR has added severaltreatment options to the mix, includingembolisation for haemorrhagic strokeand thrombolysis, thrombectomy andrecanalisation for ischaemic stroke.

 

However, debate continues over how to best integrate these procedures into hospital protocols and who should do the procedures. Should these procedures only be performed by neuroradiologists? Do interventional radiologists have a role? Should neurologists have a role? How should doctors performing these procedures be adequately trained and certified? How can a hospital or health authority offer these therapies in an efficient and cost-effective manner?

 

These topics and more will be addressed by invited speakers (Dierk Vorwerk, Ingolstadt/De; Tommy Andersson, Stockholm/SE; Klaus Hausegger, Klagenfirt/AT; and jim Reekers, Amsterdam/NL), followed by a panel discussion and a question-andanswer session.

 

This session is designed to complement the Neuro intervention programme track, which will offer a range of sessions on the theory and practice of stroke management.

 

Lung Cancer – a New Frontier for IR

This year’s second hot topic is Treatment of lung cancer – the choices and how to make them. This is a relatively new field forIR, which has already made great stridesin treating liver, bone and renal tumours.

 

Various therapy types have been investigated in lung tumour models, including embolisation, mechanical ablation and several categories of thermal ablation. Sufficient data is now available to support their use in certain clinical settings, particularly radiofrequency ablation.

 

Like all cancer treatments, the key predictor of success is good patient selection, and the challenge facing interventional radiologists and their oncologist colleagues is to determine how to best incorporate these therapies into treatment plans. A thorough knowledge of the advantages and limitation of the various technologies available is also crucial.

 

To provide more clarity, several renowned oncology specialist will discuss current data and clinical indications.

 

Celebrating our Global Community

Preceding both these Hot Topics Symposia will be the prestigious honorary lectures. This year, the Gruentzig Lecture will be delivered by Andrew Holden (Auckland/NZ), who will discuss EVAR for AAA – evolution or revolution?

 

The 2013 Roesch Lecture will be given by Mario Bezzi (Rome/IT), and will address High-intensity focused ultrasound:an IR tool for the future?

 

CIRSE is a global IR society, and to improve cross-cultural medical exchange, a special CIRSE meets Singapore session will also take place, at which this CIRSE Group Member will showcase their latest research and explain their working protocols in subjects as diverse as HCC, haemodialysis access and CLI.

 

Exploring the World of IR

CIRSE 2013 will once again offer a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in the world of interventional radiology. A host of session types will impart the most up-to-date knowledge, and the lively congress atmosphere will enable the IR community to exchange ideas and investigate the latest technologies. Be sure to join us – there is a great deal to be discovered.

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