Introduction to ECCO’25 Imaging Workshops
Mariangela Allocca, EduCom Member and Uri Kopylov, EduCom Member
 Mariangela Allocca © ECCO |
 Uri Kopylov © ECCO |
At the 2025 ECCO Congress, the educational programme will again include two workshops dedicated to the imaging of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). These workshops, organised in collaboration with the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR) and the International Bowel Ultrasound (IBUS) group, aim to educate medical professionals in imaging techniques and their use in the accurate diagnosis and treatment monitoring of IBD patients.
The first workshop will focus on the fundamentals of endoscopy, intestinal ultrasound (IUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), while the second will explore recent advances in IUS. These educational opportunities are made possible by the significant collaboration between ECCO and experienced gastroenterologists and radiologists specialising in intestinal imaging.
6th ECCO Imaging and Endoscopy Workshop in Collaboration with ESGAR & IBUS
Aimed at a wide range of medical specialists, such as gastroenterologists, endoscopists, surgeons, paediatricians, pathologists and other interdisciplinary professionals, this workshop offers crucial knowledge on radiology and endoscopy for IBD. Due to the high demand and success of the course in previous years, we have again chosen to hold it twice on the same day in 2025 to allow more participants to attend.
Endoscopy
The endoscopy section of the workshop will address several major domains: quality in IBD endoscopy, reporting of endoscopic procedures, therapeutic IBD endoscopy, including diagnosis and interventional management of complications in IBD patients, and capsule endoscopy. The endoscopy section targets physicians who practice endoscopy in IBD patients or those who participate in IBD patient care and are striving to achieve a better understanding of recent developments in the field and to improve their endoscopic skills.
Endoscopy is a crucial component of IBD care and surveillance and is critical in the assessment of disease extent and severity, as well as the detection of complications and neoplastic lesions. In recent years, we have witnessed huge leaps forward in the development of advanced techniques of optical diagnosis, along with major progress in artificial intelligence-based algorithms for endoscopic and histological assessment. Participants will learn how and when to use endoscopic scoring systems and to create high-quality endoscopic reports suitable for multidisciplinary IBD management, how to select and apply the most appropriate management strategy for intestinal strictures and how to review advanced endoscopic techniques for surveillance and endoscopic treatment of dysplasia in Ulcerative Colitis.
The endoscopy part of the workshop will be highly interactive and case based, with ample interactive video case material and lectures by top experts in the field.
Intestinal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging
This section of the workshop provides in-depth training on basic IUS and MRI, ensuring that participants acquire skills in the diagnostic capabilities of these tools. The focus is on the effective use of IUS and MRI for initial diagnosis, monitoring of response to treatment and evaluation of complications in IBD. This section is designed for IBD specialists interested in IUS and radiological imaging and includes hands-on sessions, interactive discussions and IBD case analyses.
After two introductory lectures on IUS and MRI, which provide basic knowledge on their applications, participants will be divided into small groups to rotate between six practical stations. Experienced tutors, including a radiologist and a gastroenterologist, will guide participants through the analysis of cases. Participants will have the opportunity to review and discuss MR images and perform hands-on ultrasound assessments using an IUS intestinal ultrasound simulator. The session also encourages sharing of experiences and interactive discussions on specific clinical scenarios with experienced colleagues and tutors. Topics covered include early assessment and management of suspected IBD, assessment of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis activity, identification of complications such as strictures, fistulas and abscesses, and management of specific clinical scenarios such as postoperative recurrence and perianal Crohn's Disease.
12th ECCO Ultrasound Workshop – Advanced in Collaboration with ESGAR & IBUS
Alongside the 6th ECCO Imaging and Endoscopy Workshop, organised in collaboration with ESGAR & IBUS, an advanced workshop on IUS will be held. This workshop is designed for those who already have experience with IUS, with the aim of improving their skills and keeping them informed of the latest advances in the application of IUS in IBD. Each presentation will be followed by engaging discussions centred on ultrasound video case studies.
The workshop will explore various topics, such as the application of IUS scoring systems in Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, the role of IUS as a monitoring tool in clinical trials and its effectiveness in identifying stricturing and penetrating complications. In addition, participants will explore future developments in the application of IUS in IBD. This advanced workshop represents the third module of the IBUS training curriculum and concludes with a post-course test for IBUS trainees, although all ECCO Workshop participants are invited to attend.
Given the growing importance of imaging, we expect that both the 6th ECCO Imaging and Endoscopy Workshop and the 12th ECCO Ultrasound Workshop – Advanced, organised in collaboration with ESGAR & IBUS, will attract many ECCO Members interested in endoscopy, intestinal ultrasound and radiological imaging for IBD. Places are limited, so early registration is recommended to ensure participation in these dynamic workshops and the opportunity to exchange knowledge with international specialists.
We look forward to seeing you in Berlin in 2025.
Mariangela Allocca and Uri Kopylov
On behalf of the Educational Committee