Report on the 2nd ECCO-ESGAR Basic Imaging Workshop: Endoscopy

This year's course was highly interactive, with expert discussion and with live polling using the ECCO IBD App, which was launched as a cutting-edge tool by ECCO this year to engage the audience.  The main focus was high-quality endoscopy videos and images to simulate a live endoscopy case scenario.  In addition, a major aim of the workshop was to increase the competence, knowledge and confidence of the participants with regard to the advanced endoscopic diagnosis and interventional endoscopic management of complications in IBD patients in order to improve patient outcomes.

Furthermore, we introduced a session on advanced therapeutic endoscopic modalities in the management of colonic lesions and complications as advanced interventional endoscopy is becoming an integral part of the multidisciplinary approach to patients with complex IBD.

The content of the workshop included three sessions and state of the art lectures. The main learning objectives were

1. how to assess inflammation and mucosal healing through the use of  endoscopic scoring systems and advanced electronic virtual technologies,
2. when and how to use double balloon enteroscopy and capsule endoscopy to assess small bowel Crohn’s Disease and facilitate its differential diagnosis,
3. how to characterise and manage colonic dysplastic  lesions in IBD and
4. how to manage complications such as stricture, fistulas, and postsurgical acute or chronic leaks by minimally invasive means, thereby avoiding major resectional surgery.

The introductory lectures described the current techniques and technologies and covered the most important clinical and endoscopic aspects of each topic. The lectures were followed by videos of endoscopic interactive cases that covered the most advanced endoscopic technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), advanced therapeutic techniques and the latest devices and modalities, including balloon dilation, stricturotomy, stent placement, fistulotomy, fistula injection and clipping, sinusotomy, and endoscopic mucosal and submucosal dissection.

The audience was fully engaged and enthusiastic in using the voting system within the ECCO IBD App to respond to specific questions posed by the experts in each topic.

The course has been successful and very popular in the past few years. Because of the limited number of spaces, the decision was made to run the endoscopy course twice on the same day this year, allowing more participants (in total 120) to attend. Despite this increase, the course was already oversubscribed several months in advance and had a long waiting list. We therefore video recorded the entire course and have published it on the ECCO Webcast Website and in the ECCO e-Library, which is accessible to all ECCO Members.

The course was highly appreciated and well received by attendees, being considered interesting and informative, with a good overall satisfaction rate. Nevertheless, given the increasing advancements in endoscopic technologies and the emphasis on the quality of performance, learning and practice, our task for next year’s workshop will be to introduce further advances in endoscopy, alongside more innovative interaction with world class faculty, clinical endoscopy video scenarios and practical educational activities. There will be ample opportunity to interact with leading international experts in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Therefore, keep up to date on ECCO Educational Activities and do not miss the next ECCO Endoscopy Workshop in 2021 in Berlin.

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