Dietary advice in the management of IBD has evolved in recent years from having gastrointestinal symptom reduction as a goal to a more pathogenesis-focussed approach [1–4]. At present, dietary recommendations in adult Crohn’s Disease (CD) are limited to increasing dietary fibre by means of fruit and vegetables and decreasing processed foods [1]. The nutrition debate has long divided adult and paediatric CD care, from international guidelines all the way through to service provision arrangements, with growth failure being a common feature in paediatric CD and dietetic support being a mainstay of care in many children’s hospitals [5–7].  

Michael Scharl © ECCO

Marc Ferrante © ECCO

Sebastian Zeissig © ECCO

Similarities and differences in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated inflammatory disorders 

This year’s SciCom Workshop focussed on common and distinct pathways in immune-mediated disorders and the application of this knowledge for early disease recognition and interception as well as for the treatment of established disease.

To submit an abstract for the 16^th Congress of ECCO, use our ECCO Portal.

Please also view important information on the submission process and the guidelines for abstract submission.

Bram Verstockt © ECCO

Dear Y-ECCO Friends,

Bringing basic science from the bench to the bed, and back, can be challenging for both scientists and clinicians.  In order to encourage young scientists and clinicians to collaborate and to approach similar scientific questions from a different – but joint – perspective, the Y-ECCO Basic Science Workshop was founded years ago. Every year, the Y-ECCO Committee invites outstanding senior experts to give a state of the art overview on hot topics in the field. Furthermore, these top-notch speakers not only moderate the discussions following abstract presentations but also inspire and stimulate full-time researchers and young clinicians to do basic science at the start of their careers.

Roger Feakins © ECCO

The Histopathology Committee of ECCO (H-ECCO) is now more than 5 years old, having started as a new working group. It is an enthusiastic group that supports various activities and interacts well with other ECCO Committees. The most identifiable and consistent activity is the H-ECCO IBD Masterclass, a successful event attracting more than 70 delegates annually from Europe and further afield.

Yves Panis © ECCO

The 9^th S-ECCO Masterclass (held in collaboration with the European Association of Coloproctology, ESCP) was organised during the 15^th Congress of ECCO in Vienna. Thankfully, just before the coronavirus crisis!

As in previous years, it was a full-day masterclass, and once again it attracted a large number of participants, 149. This meant that in terms of attendance the S-ECCO Masterclass was second among all masterclasses and symposia, just after the N-ECCO Network Meeting.

Eytan Wine  © ECCO

D-ECCO, the Dietitians of ECCO, held its 5^th Workshop as part of the 15^th ECCO Congress in Vienna in February 2020. I will describe some of the highlights and main messages of the Workshop, which was attended by 104 registered delegates.

Henit Yanai © ECCO

The 18^th IBD Intensive Advanced Course took place before the ECCO Congress as the highlight of the educational programme, which runs in conjunction with the Congress.

This well-known course, which has been held almost since the inception of ECCO, took place once again, attracting a full attendance from Europe and elsewhere. Overall, 94 doctors attended the course from 37 countries and were treated to a comprehensive update on IBD.

Marietta Iacucci © ECCO

In 2020 the ECCO Endoscopy Workshop reached its 6^th edition, and it has now become a mainstay of the educational activities of ECCO. Since 2019 the Endoscopy Workshop is a part of the ECCO-ESGAR Basic Imaging Workshop. The workshop was organised by the ECCO Education Committee (EduCom), and was devoted to and structured for physicians or colorectal surgeons who are specialists in IBD with at least some experience in endoscopy.

Christian Maaser  © ECCO

At ECCO 2020 two ultrasound workshops were held. The 2^nd ECCO-ESGAR Basic Imaging Workshop was devoted to the basics of intestinal ultrasound (IUS) and MRI. In this workshop, gastroenterologists from ECCO who are experts in intestinal ultrasonography and radiologists from the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR) who are experts in IBD jointly provided delegates with a full immersion in imaging in IBD.