Felix Aigner and Roel Hompes report on this successful collaborative one-day meeting, 'Updates in Coloproctology', which took place on 4 June 2024.
It is with pleasure that we thank all the 95 participants from 13 different countries (worldwide!) who contributed to lively discussions and interacted with the faculty at the 1st Austrian ESCP Masterclass on 'Updates in Coloproctology' in Mozart’s birth town Salzburg.
The Masterclass attracted many visitors of the Annual Congress of the Austrian Society of Surgery which took place the days after the Masterclass who used the opportunity to listen and discuss with national and international faculty including ESCP representatives Stephanie Breukink, Danilo Miskovic, Mia Kim, Oliver Schwandner, Phil Tozer, Quentin Denost, Jurriaan Tuynman, Pasquale Giordano and Alice Moynihan.
The event was organised on behalf of the ESCP in conjunction with the council of the Austrian Society of Coloproctology (ACP) with four scientific sessions on 'Haemorrhoids', 'Anal fistula', 'Challenges in rectal cancer surgery' and 'Image-guided surgery in coloproctology'. Each session was closed with a one-hour interactive session including a panel discussion initiated with a case presentation by a young Austrian coloproctologist.
Innovations in haemorrhoidal and fistula treatment were highlighted with regard to international guidelines wrapped up by Phil Tozer and Stephanie Breukink.
An intensive debate was kicked off following the update presentations on dealing with complete and near-complete response in early as well as advanced rectal cancer with a critical appraisal on total neoadjuvant treatment and subsequent functional and surgical challenges.
A session dedicated to imaging in coloproctology including application of AI in detection and differentiation of rectal neoplasms brought this outstanding Masterclass down to a round figure.
A big thank to the ESCP representatives enriching the programme with their contributions, the ACP and the local organizer Mrs Linda Partl for the smooth course of this fruitful and collaborative event!
Servus and see you soon in Austria again!
