I was delighted to be in attendance at two important—and stimulating—meetings in recent months.
During Euro EUS 2015 I experienced the excellent faculty and the great new facilities at Paoli Calmettes Institut in Marseille, France. Almost 300 attendees from 45 countries were on hand to view the 24 live cases performed by experts on Day 1. Those experts then followed up on Day 2 with engaging lectures on the management of pancreatic cancer that included use of histological needles and pancreatic collection drainage.
One major trend we noticed was the continuing development of tissue acquisition tools, especially the importance of attaining histology for newer pathology techniques. Needles are evolving in both the histology and cytology arenas, reflecting the life-preserving nature of EUS. For the future, this modality is crucial not only in obtaining early diagnoses, but helping to tailor treatment that can make a huge difference in patient outcomes.
The focus and major draw of our Euro EUS booth this year was the 20 gauge EchoTip ProCore needle. This new needle was created to help clinicians attain cytology and histology in difficult-to-access locations and the feedback was very exciting at the booth.
Later in May, I was thrilled to see the huge turnout at DDW 2015. The exhibition hall in Washington, DC, was buzzing with almost 15,000 attendees, including a large international contingent.
For me, some of the key highlights included continued excellent feedback on the Instinct clip, Acrobat wire and Evolution biliary platform and, once again, we received positive reviews on the new 20 gauge EchoTip ProCore needle as at Euro EUS.
One of the highlights on our booth this year at DDW was having creators of the new Cook ERCP Trainer Model, Prof. Guido Costamanga and Dr. Ivo Boskoski, on hand to fully explain and demonstrate this unique, innovative training model. Afterwards experts and fellows alike couldn’t wait to get their hands on the trainer and all came away highly impressed. We added some fun to the proceedings by challenging a couple of physicians to be blindfolded and verbally guided through a simulated procedure on the new trainer. Each time, the blindfolded physician successfully completed the challenge!
We were also privileged to welcome to our booth a couple of the biggest names in our field. Prof. Norman Marcon joined us and we took time to celebrate his recent appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada, one of that nation’s highest civilian honors. Dr. Peter Cotton graciously signed copies of our special Channel edition, 40 Years of Interventional ERCP Channel. Dr. Cotton served as guest editor for these two volumes of incisive and informative interviews with the some of the giants in the field of endoscopy.
Barry Slowey
Business Unit Leader – Endoscopy
Vice President – Cook Medical