February 21, 2018 — The European Congress of Radiology (ECR) announced the theme of its 2018 annual meeting, Feb. 28-March 4 in Vienna Austria, will be “Diverse & United,” focusing on the specialty’s diversity and will promote science and innovation.
One of the new ECR entrants being highlighted will be ‘Interventional Radiology at the Cube.’ The program is intended to introduce young radiologists to the subspecialty of interventional radiology, and to provide enhanced knowledge to radiologists who need it in their everyday professional life. Lectures and hands-on workshops focus on interaction with the participants, simulating clinical routine and concentrating on practice-oriented contents. For the new project, rooms in a nearby church have been rented to create a contemporary architectural gem in a cuboid form, made of dark chromium steel; hence the term ‘the Cube.’
The ‘Coffee & Talk’ sessions are another new format. In a relaxed atmosphere in one of the Austria Center’s lounges, short lectures and discussions will be offered on topics such as clinical decision support, challenges for department chairs, undergraduate teaching of radiology, radiation protection and imaging biobanks. Participants are welcomed and encouraged to stop by and contribute to the informal discussions.
The new ‘My Thesis in 3 minutes – MyT3’ sessions provide a platform for residents and young radiologists who would like to present their thesis as a first author.
“The current hot topics in radiology are big data; challenges and risks when dealing with ever larger amounts and varieties of data; artificial intelligence; and radiomics. These are exciting issues that we have to deal with in the near future by recognizing the potential these developments have for us in terms of improving the quality of our work and patient care. We need not fear them as threats – I firmly believe that radiologists will always have a pivotal role in both diagnostic and interventional therapeutic patient management. Moreover, I also firmly believe that our specialty will benefit from these developments. Innovations mean advancement – a case in point in radiology is hybrid imaging, which will be another focus at ECR 2018,” said European Society of Radiology (ESR) President Prof. Bernd Hamm from the Charité, Berlin, Germany.
Some of the hottest topics will be reflected in the three New Horizon Sessions, which will focus on machine learning, immunotherapy and radiomics. Another format at ECR 2018 that is gaining significance and is presenting the latest scientific results in radiology are the ‘Clinical Trials in Radiology’ sessions. These sessions are a platform for presenting the most recent prospective studies and results of multicenter trials.
ECR 2018 is also the official medical meeting for all radiographers in Europe and offers a dedicated scientific program for them. As in previous years, the relationship between the ESR and the European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS) has had a strong impact on the scientific program. All radiographer sessions held in Room K will be simultaneously translated into French, German, Italian and Spanish.
The Voice of EPOS will again offer a platform for poster authors to present their work in a moderated poster session to an international audience at ECR 2018. In addition to organ-based topics, the Voice of EPOS will feature new sessions such as computer applications, molecular imaging, physics in radiology and radioprotection. In over 20 dedicated country sessions, authors will present their posters in their native language to strengthen the exchange within the communities and serve a multilingual and international audience.
To make it more widely accessible, the ECR will again broadcast nearly every lecture via live web streams on ECR Online, a service that was introduced four years ago. Lectures will also be available to watch on demand afterwards. For ECR 2018, ECR Online will offer a special service to colleagues in China: Fifty scientists from various Chinese provinces will come to Vienna and translate 500 selected presentations into Mandarin. These presentations will then be available with Mandarin subtitles, on demand, after the congress in China via ECR Online.
The ‘ESR meets’ program, which sees three national radiological societies invited to the congress, will feature China, Portugal and Switzerland as the program’s guest countries for 2018.
“I strongly believe that our specialty has something to offer for all of us and also for future generations of physicians, radiographers and students. However, like in a mosaic, it is the connection of all the pieces that create the big picture. By using this metaphor I wish to express my sincere wish and hope that, despite these different and interesting facets and subspecialties, radiologists should see themselves as a community and join forces to strengthen our specialty in the best interest of our patients,” said Hamm.
For more information: www.myesr.org/congress
April 22, 2024 
