S-ECCO

Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch–anal anastomosis (IPAA) remains the operation that most clearly embodies the surgical promise offered to people with Ulcerative Colitis (UC): remove the diseased colon and rectum, preserve continence and avoid a permanent stoma. The article that we produced as the S-ECCO Board and that will be published in JCC Plus is a narrative review that steps back from technique-by-technique debates and asks a broader question:

Twenty years ago, as a PhD student in epidemiology, I took courses alongside PhD students in quality research. At the time, I struggled to understand how they could draw conclusions from studies involving only a small number of patients, and I was puzzled by their scepticism toward quantitative research.

Change drives scientific progress, and committees evolve with it. As members transition, fresh perspectives fuel innovation and shape the future. We are delighted to welcome two rising stars in IBD surgery to S-ECCO: Gabriele Bislenghi (Belgium) and Anthony de Buck van Overstraeten (Canada).

Robotics has taken the surgical community by storm and is increasingly being adopted in IBD surgery. While many see true technological advancement in robotics, by virtue of its ability to facilitate complex procedures in Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis for the good of the patient, there remains scepticism. And, as always, there are two sides to the coin.

Are we measuring postoperative outcomes that reflect the success of surgical intervention? Are those outcomes sufficiently sensitive to measure the success of surgical intervention? Complication rate, quality of life and disease relapse are frequently used outcome measures but they have drawbacks that must be taken into consideration. Combining these outcomes with objective measurements will provide the best account of the success of a surgical intervention. Why is this important?

Caroline Nordenvall has recently joined the S-ECCO Committee. She works at the Karolinska University Hospital as an IBD surgeon and is head of the research group in colorectal surgery. She is an Associate Professor within the University. Caroline is the PI of the CRUISE study (Colectomy and Reconstruction in Ulcerative colitis In Sweden and England study), a multicentre study in collaboration with three Swedish centres and St Marks Hospital (England). This is a clinical preference study that has the aim of comparing QoL and functional outcome following restorative surgery with ileal pouch ...

The 13th S-ECCO IBD Masterclass within the 19th ECCO Congress completed a return to normality, this being the second time in a row that we were able to meet in person with colleagues focusing on IBD surgery without the ghost of COVID hovering above us. Pär Myrelid, having successfully and calmly steered S-ECCO through a challenging year, opened the first session and welcomed us heartily in his home country.