Get Ready for CIRSE in Lisbon!

In September 2017, almost 10 years after we first set foot in Copenhagen for a CIRSE Annual Meeting, we returned for one of our most successful congresses yet. Our 32nd meeting was truly international; out of over 7,000 attendees, almost 20% came from the Asia Pacific region and 13% of the attendees travelled from the Americas.

Our Focus for 2018

A new addition will include the Clinical Evaluation Course, comprising eight different thematic sessions. Each session will include a multidisciplinary faculty looking at the diagnostic evaluation of the patient; interventional and non-interventional treatment options; state-of-the-art technology with regards to advanced image guidance and devices, as well as the required patient follow-up after treatment.

The endovascular focus will again make up more than 50% of the programme, including three distinct topic categories: arterial, venous and aortic interventions, the latter covered in the Interdisciplinary Endovascular Aortic Symposium (IDEAS), a popular parallel multidisciplinary programme which will run from Sunday to Tuesday for the fourth year and will include the IDEAS Industry Training Village. There will also be ample attention given to the game-changing research in and importance of embolotherapies, including a Hot Topic Symposium on the clinical uses of embolisation in the trauma setting. The other Hot Topic Symposium will cover the use of transradial access and its broad application in minimally invasive interventions.

Naturally, interventional oncology will also form a significant part of the scientific programme, particularly in our Focus Sessions and the aforementioned Clinical Evaluation Course, with sessions on liver, lung and kidney cancer. The neurointerventions track will continue its focus on stroke therapy, providing useful information and tailor-made education for vascular interventional radiologists who would like to offer or already provide an acute ischaemic stroke service in their centres. The non-vascular track will cover an expansive array of topics through session formats such as Workshops and Video Learning including biliary, the lymphatic system, MSK, pain and many more.

In consideration for increasingly limited hospital leave time, CIRSE 2018 will conclude on Tuesday evening instead of Wednesday at noon. There will, nonetheless, be the same amount of education hours, again providing you with a high-quality and comprehensive programme.

Empowering the Next Generation

As part of our drive to support young IRs, we have widened the eligibility criteria for Junior Membership to include everyone who has completed their undergraduate training within the last eight years and is currently enrolled in post-graduate training. Furthermore, we will be offering free registration to all Junior Members who submit a first or presenting author abstract to the conference, regardless of whether it is chosen for inclusion in the programme. There will again be many sessions catered to our student attendees and Junior Members.

Lighting up Lisbon

For CIRSE 2018, we will be returning to the Lisbon Congress Center, located on the River Tagus in the thriving and internationally connected Portuguese capital, which has excellent public transportation and a buzzing culture. While registration will not open until the New Year, we would like to remind you that abstract submission will open on December 6. With a large number of global experts coming together for Europe’s biggest IR congress, this is the ideal opportunity to present your research.

Stay tuned for more details on the scientific programme and travel information. We are very much looking forward to welcoming you to Lisbon!