Stockholmsmässan, also known as Älvsjömässan, the largest exhibition and conference facility in Sweden, hosted the 18^th N-ECCO Network Meeting. A total of 295 IBD Nurses from Europe and beyond were attracted by the interesting programme, in order to share current practice and research in the management of IBD. 

The first morning session focused on the patient. It opened with a talk by Christine Norton (UK) on some often overlooked major patient concerns: pain, fatigue, urgency and incontinence. With passion, Sebastian Shaji (UK) gave an update on perianal and fistulising CD. Pär Myrelid and Åsa Gustafsson, both from Sweden, discussed care of the patient with stoma and pouch in a tandem talk in which they adopted a sensitive, realistic and open approach. Gionata Fiorino (Italy) then presented treatment options for patients with a previous malignancy, a hot topic that worries patients a lot.

Adriana Rivera Sequeiros © ECCO

On February 21 of this year, Stockholm became the hub for groundbreaking discussions at the 8^th N-ECCO Research Forum during the 19^th ECCO Congress. Designed to spotlight the pivotal role of specialised nursing in managing IBD, this biannual gathering underscored the importance of Europe-wide nursing collaboration in research and mentoring the next generation of IBD Research Nurses.

Marie Andersson © ECCO

Some weeks have already passed since the 15^th edition of the N-ECCO School took place in Stockholm, attended by 98 participants. 

I can still remember my first N-ECCO School in Prague in 2010, when I was attending the ECCO Congress there. That was my very first international congress. At the time I was a nurse had not worked for very long with IBD. I was very nervous about travelling alone to a large congress without knowing anyone and also very unsure of the English language. Would I be able to handle it? What if I couldn’t understand what was being said or answered incorrectly if asked a question? I believe there are many of you who will recognise yourself in these comments.  

Hannah Gordon © ECCO

Michel Adamina © ECCO

The ECCO Guidelines for the management of Crohn’s Disease are among the most influential guidelines informing and guiding patient care worldwide. They are updated every 4 years and their latest iteration is about to be published following a plenary presentation at the recent ECCO Congress in Stockholm.

Mariangela Allocca  © ECCO

The 11^th ECCO Ultrasound Workshop – Advanced in collaboration with ESGAR & IBUS, was held on site during the 19^th ECCO Congress in Stockholm in February 2024, as a part of ECCO's Educational Programme.

Glen Doherty © ECCO

Fast facts in IBD is a new web-based virtual learning opportunity brought to you by EduCom as an additional way to participate in ECCO Education. It is designed to complement the in-person ECCO Postgraduate Course in IBD, which takes place bi-annually at the ECCO Congress.

Ultrasound and MRI Portion

Mariangela Allocca © ECCO

M. Barreiro-de Acosta © ECCO

The 5^th ECCO Basic Imaging Workshop was successfully conducted on site during the 19^th ECCO Congress in Stockholm in February 2024, as a part of ECCO’s educational programme. The workshop saw two sessions on the same day due to the high demand for participation. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the speakers and tutors for their dedicated efforts in covering both sessions. Gastroenterologists with expertise in intestinal ultrasound from ECCO and IBUS, along with radiologists from the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR), collaborated to provide attendees with a comprehensive immersion into imaging in IBD.

Natália Queiroz © ECCO

The 22^nd ECCO IBD Intensive Course for Trainees took place on February 21, 2024, in the vibrant city of Stockholm. Despite the cold and moody weather outside, the course itself was a lively and buzzing experience, filled with enthusiastic discussions and valuable insights.

A total of 116 abstracts with an epidemiology theme were accepted for presentation at the ECCO Congress in 2024. This represented an increase over the previous year, with total submissions in this category up by 20%. It is clear that ECCO Members and IBD researchers see epidemiology as a vital part of our understanding of the overall picture of IBD aetiology, management and outcomes. Here we highlight just a few of the top abstracts that caught our eye.

Murat Toruner © ECCO

Dear IBD Friends and Colleagues, 

ClinCom organised two courses at the recent 19^th Congress of ECCO in Stockholm. The first course was the 9^th ClinCom Workshop, which comprised two sessions and attracted 39 participants.