Dear Friends and Colleagues, we are pleased to present the Society’s 21st Newsletter.
The European Society of Neurosonology and Cerebral Hemodynamics (ESNCH) continues to be the most successful neurosonology group in the world, and is strongly connected to the paneuropean scientific community. In particular we are building even stronger ties with the European Stroke Organization (ESO), the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), as well as the European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB): within the annual conference of each of these societies, we are organizing courses/workshops/symposia. As a growing scientific society not limited by political or geographical bounderies, we also collaborate with the Neurosonology Research Group (NSRG) in order to create a network for all young neurologists who can benefit for being members of both societies and gain the International Certification in Neurosonology.
The ESNCH defines the neurovascular standards in Europe and beyond. An important part of its mission is to promote scientific research, education and training all over Europe. The ESNCH supports the International Conference on Neurosonology and Cerebral Hemodynamics held annually in changing European countries and the International Residential Training Course in Neurosonology which is held every two years across Europe. These events have set high scientific standards, positioning these meetings as the hallmark location to discuss neurosonology, bringing together the world’s experts in investigating cerebral hemodynamics. The advantages for our members are numerous: in a familiar atmosphere, they get the latest news and the highest level of
knowledge on the clinical meaning of ultrasound in acute and chronic cerebrovascular diseases, as well as clinically relevant applications of Neurosonology in the fields of movement disorders and peripheral neuropathies. Overall, our meetings represent the number one forum for the transfer of new ideas and an excellent platform for young researchers to present their work, gain experience and start a scientific collaboration.
Last year the main event of our Society was the 21st Meeting of the ESNCH that took place in Budapest (Hungary) from the 13th to the 16th of May 2016. Budapest is often referred to as “The pearl of the Danube” and is one of the most fascinating cities in the world, providing an extraordinary location for the ESNCH 2016 Meeting. Peaceful and bustling, a big metropolis and yet friendly, it treasures the old and embraces the new. This city offered a unique cultural and historic atmosphere that encouraged networking and friendship among all who attended. Professors Laszlo Németh, Gyula Pánczél, Attila Csányi, and Laszlo Oláh, respectively Chairman, Co-Chairman, Head of Scientific Committee, and Tutorial Program Organizer, were supported by a very wise Scientific Advisor, Prof. Laszlo Csiba. Their experience in organizing neurosonology courses and meetings assured a very high scientific standard to the conference. The aim of the meeting was to focus on innovations in science, technical progress, clinical applications, and in improving clinical practice of neurosonology and stroke management. Close to 200 participants registered from 38 countries. Active participation was witnessed by 48 poster presentations and 43 oral presentations. Both basic and advanced teaching courses characterized by 13 tutorial lectures and 2×6 hands-on groups were well attended: 76 participants in the basic tutorial and in the advanced tutorial. Finally, there were 26 participants who registered for the Examination to obtain the International Certification in Neurosonology: congratulations to the 6 (23%) colleagues who passed the Examination. It was an inspiring meeting both scientifically and socially: the social program was very rich, as it included a boat trip in the evening after the tutorial program, a welcome party, a gala dinner and finally the first edition of the sonocup competition a goliardic event on neurosonology with the participation of two teams who were confronted with very puzzling and sometimes mentally deranging questions.
In 2017, the main event of our Society will be the 22nd ESNCH Conference that will take place in Berlin (Germany) from the 19th to the 21st of May. Professor Stephan Schreiber will be the Chairman and he will be supported by two Co-Chairmen, Prof. Florian Connolly and Prof. Jose Valdueza. The congress is located in the heart of the city – close to the historic campus of the Charité university teaching hospital – in walking distance to main train station (Hauptbahnhof) and to the Brandenburg gates. This will assure an excellent environment for study and for experiencing Berlin. According to the ESNCH tradition, the 2017 conference will combine education and science. However, the topics will be extended considerably, following the recent development within the fields of peripheral nerve and muscle ultrasound as well as ultrasound guided interventions. In addition, there will be a focus on topics overlapping with rheumatology and neurosurgery. Finally, theory and research will be combined with educative live presentations. A wide spectrum of established as well as new companies on the market will participate in the industrial exhibition, enabling all participants to get a good impression of today’s diagnostic options. As a tradition, basic and advanced teaching courses on Doppler- and duplex ultrasonography of cerebral vessels will be offered to delegates, who will be encouraged to have a very close cooperation with the experts in order to bring home an unforgettable practical experience. They will also be given the possibility to gain the International Certificate in Neurosonology. For more details, you can visit the meeting website: www.neurosonology2017.de We trust that the scientific level of the program and the extraordinary location will stimulate many to actively participate in the Meeting.
Another important scientific event for our Society will be the 5th International Training Course in Neurosonology, which will take place from September 28th to September 30th 2017 in Zadar (Croatia). It wil be organized by Chairman Prof. Branko Malojcic, who is very experienced in the organization of training courses as he directs the Zadar School of Neurosonology since 2009. All participants will have a great opportunity to better their skills with the help of our very qualified trainers, especially during the hands-on sessions.
The ESNCH encourages all members to actively support implementation of ultrasound in local stroke programs and to send to our webmaster, Prof. J. Klingelhöfer (neurologie@skc.de), announcements of upcoming events and conference reports, as well as your best case of the month for publication on our website: www.esnch.org.
ESNCH is a democratic organisation: the voice of all our members is important and their ideas are invaluable. During the General Assembly at the 2017 ESNCH Conference in Berlin, 3 new officers of the Executive Committee will be elected. Prof. David Russell, our founding President and chairman of the Nominating Committee, will solicit the proposals of the members of our Society for these three positions. The candidates must be fully paid members of the ESNCH. Proposals should include a short half page CV summary of the member proposed and a confirmation that the candidate is willing to accept the position if elected. All proposals should be sent to the chairman of the ESNCH Election Committee, Prof. David Russell: E-mail: david.russell@medisin.uio.no before May 1st 2017.
We also invite all our members to send their e-mail address to our treasurer Matthias.Sturzenegger@insel.ch and to our secretary claudiobaracchini@gmail.com in order to be kept updated on all current ESNCH activities.
The result of a great effort made by the ESNCH is represented by the Manual of Neurosonology just recently published. Authored and edited by international experts, this practical manual will represent an invaluable resource for neurologists, neurosurgeons, intensivists, radiologists and ultrasonographers, as this guide looks beyond the use of neurovascular ultrasound in stroke to encompass a wide range of other neurological diseases and emergencies. It offers a practical approach to the examination of patients, interpretation of ultrasound studies, and the application of neurosonology to the development of management and treatment strategies. Each chapter incorporates a thorough and clear procedural methodology alongside scanning tips for trainees; this step-by-step approach is further enhanced by example images and focused diagnostic questions. We believe it will also be an important reference for all those young colleagues studying for the International Certification in Neurosonology.
We wish you all a very successful year and we are looking forward to seeing you in Berlin.
Warm regards,
N.M. Bornstein
President of the ESNCH
C. Baracchini
Secretary of the ESNCH
