Report on the 5th ECCO-ESGAR Ultrasound-MRI Workshop at ECCO'18
Giovanni Maconi, EduCom Member
 Giovanni Maconi © ECCO |
Participating speakers and tutors: Anil Kumar Asthana (Australia), Arun Gupta (United Kingdom), Christian Maaser (Germany), Emma Calabrese (Italy), Francesca Maccioni (Italy) Jordi Rimola (Spain), Jaap Stoker (The Netherlands), Kerry Novak (Canada), Michael Torkzad (United Kingdom), Pietro Paolantonio (Italy), Rune Wilkens (Denmark), Torsten Kucharzik (Germany), Stephan Vavricka (Switzerland), Andrea Laghi (Italy) and Giovanni Maconi (Italy)
 5th ECCO-ESGAR Ultrasound-MRI Workshop at ECCO'18, Vienna © ECCO |
The 5th ECCO-ESGAR Ultrasound-MRI Workshop at ECCO 2018 was devoted to both intestinal ultrasound and MRI. The main features, advantages and limitations of these techniques were presented jointly in the same workshop with the aims of introducing gastroenterologists to the techniques of bowel ultrasonography, providing basic information on how to read MRI and interact properly with radiologists and ultimately showing the best way to use these tools when assessing IBD patients.
The great success of the workshop was achieved thanks to the cooperation of gastroenterologists with experience in intestinal ultrasonography from ECCO and radiological experts in IBD from the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR). The course was carefully designed to meet the needs of IBD specialists with an interest in bowel ultrasound and radiological imaging through a combination of practical skill sessions and interactive discussion of real cases.
The workshop opened with two introductory lectures on intestinal ultrasound and MRI. Then, the 54 attendees were subdivided into six groups that rotated among six different stations, where six IBD cases were investigated and discussed. With the help of tutors – one radiologist and one gastroenterologist – each participant was guided through the case. This included the possibility to interactively discuss MRI on workstations and to perform sonographic evaluation on an intestinal ultrasound simulator.
 5th ECCO-ESGAR Ultrasound-MRI Workshop at ECCO'18, Vienna © ECCO |
Each participant had the opportunity to experiment with lights and shadows and to gain an understanding of the limitations and advantages of intestinal ultrasound and MRI in IBD. Furthermore, participants were able to share experiences and discuss specific clinical situations with colleagues and tutors, such as early assessment and management of suspected IBD, assessment of Crohn’s Disease activity, detection of extramural complications of IBD, e.g. fistulas and abscesses, evaluation of postoperative recurrence and management of perianal Crohn's Disease.
The ECCO-ESGAR Ultrasound-MRI Workshop was very well received by the participants, who especially appreciated the possibility of interaction and the balance between passive and active learning.
Based on the success of this and previous editions, ultrasound education at ECCO’19 will be split into two workshops. One will be dedicated to basic ultrasound, endoscopy and MRI while the other will focus on advanced intestinal ultrasound and will appeal primarily to participants who already have some experience in intestinal ultrasound. Considering the growing interest in imaging, we are sure that this project will meet the expectations of many ECCO Colleagues interested in imaging in IBD.