Ultrasound and MRI Focus

Mariangela Allocca © ECCO

Uri Kopylov © ECCO

The 6^th ECCO Workshop on Imaging, a key part of ECCO's Educational Programme, took place during the 20^th Congress of ECCO in Berlin in February 2025. Due to high interest, two identical sessions were held on the same day, allowing more participants to take part in this hands-on learning course. We thank all the speakers and tutors, whose expertise and dedication contributed to the success of the event. This collaborative effort brought together leading gastroenterologists from ECCO and IBUS, along with radiologists from the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR), providing a comprehensive overview of imaging modalities in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Mariangela Allocca  © ECCO

The 12^th ECCO Ultrasound Workshop – Advanced, organised in collaboration with ESGAR and IBUS, took place during the 20^th Congress of ECCO in Berlin in February 2025 as part of ECCO's Educational Programme. The workshop was attended by 166 participants and brought together experts from various countries, facilitating valuable discussions on the latest advancements in intestinal ultrasound (IUS) for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

Johan Burisch © ECCO

The European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO), in collaboration with the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR), the European Society of Pathology (ESP) and the International Bowel Ultrasonography Group (IBUS), has released an updated version of its multi-society guidelines on the diagnostics and monitoring of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Torsten Kucharzik, Henit Yanai, Roger Feakins and Stuart Taylor coordinated these guidelines with the help of professional methodologists, librarians and the ECCO Office, as well as 40 ECCO, ESGAR, ESP and IBUS members from several countries. These new recommendations mark an important shift toward non-invasive disease assessment and personalised monitoring strategies, reflecting the recent entry of intestinal ultrasound (IUS) as an important monitoring tool for IBD, biomarker-based surveillance and histological remission (HR) as a treatment target.

Maria de Jong © ECCO

The 16^th edition of the N-ECCO School and the 19th edition of the N-ECCO Network Meeting took place during the 20^th Congress of ECCO, held from February 19 to 22 in a cold but sunny Berlin. The N-ECCO School gives nurses and dietitians the opportunity to increase their basic knowledge in IBD, while the N-ECCO Network Meeting provides an overview of new insights in IBD care, presented by a mix of excellent speakers. By networking, nurses at different levels are able to exchange knowledge on how to manage IBD care, and this knowledge can be transferred to their own IBD clinics.

Tania Hermoso © Tania Hermoso

Audrey Borel © Audrey Borel

Tania Hermoso and Audrey Borel are both IBD Nurses, working in Paris, and designated N-ECCO National Representatives for France since 2023 and 2024 respectively.

Until recently, there was no formal training for nurses wishing to specialise in IBD, and the position of an IBD Nurse is not officially recognised by the French health system. “In France, the main challenge is to gain recognition for the IBD Nurse role and to legally validate training for advanced practice nurses in IBD,” says Audrey.

Chen Sarbagili Shabat  © ECCO

We were in Berlin for the 10^th D-ECCO Workshop! The workshop was full, with our largest attendance to date – 194 participants, including not only dietitians but also a great mix of specialists from all over the world. I, Chen Sarbagili (the Netherlands), opened the workshop by informing participants that the ECCO Consensus on Diet and Nutrition in IBD would be presented for the first time during this ECCO’s plenary session, as well as by presenting the various opportunities available to all IBD Dietitian Members, including the D-ECCO Grant and the D-ECCO Travel Award.

Alaa El-Hussuna © ECCO

Change drives scientific progress, and committees evolve with it. As members transition, fresh perspectives fuel innovation and shape the future.

We are delighted to welcome two rising stars in IBD surgery to S-ECCO: Gabriele Bislenghi (Belgium) and Anthony de Buck van Overstraeten (Canada).

As the chair of the P-ECCO Committee, it is my pleasure to introduce the newly elected member of the Committee, Eileen Crowley, a paediatric gastroenterologist from London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario, Canada.

Eileen completed her medical degree and Higher Specialist Training with the Royal College of Physicians, Ireland. She then moved to the Hospital of SickKids in Toronto, where she completed a Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship and a sub-specialty IBD Fellowship. While in Toronto, she first-authored a seminal paper that was published in Gastroenterology in 2020, entitled: “Prevalence and Clinical Features of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Associated With Monogenic Variants, Identified by Whole-Exome Sequencing in 1000 Children at a Single Center”. This work has served to better delineate the genetic phenotype of children with IBD, as well as optimising response to therapy in this age group.

At the 20^th Congress of ECCO, held in Berlin, Germany from February 19 to 22, 2025, we organised the 10^th H-ECCO IBD Masterclass. The aims of our meeting were to discuss the histopathological aspects of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), to highlight the multidisciplinary approach to the diagnostic process – also illustrated by the similar number of pathologists and gastroenterologists in the audience – and to look towards the future.

Dear Y-ECCO Friends,

During the recent 20th Congress of ECCO, I found myself listening to David Bowie’s Low, a classic album written in Berlin well before the artist’s 35th birthday. So nearly 50 years on from that record, it was fitting that the finest work in IBD, including so many contributions from Y-ECCO Members, should be presented in the city. Of the 1534 accepted abstracts, 12 oral presentations, 52 digital oral presentations (DOPs) and 457 poster abstracts were delivered by Y-ECCO Members – over a third of the content! Alongside our five Abstract Award winners, Y-ECCO Members also collected seven DOP Awards, six ECCO Grants and one Young Researcher Award. It is clear that Y-ECCO is both the future and the present of ECCO, so please do continue the hard work and get involved!