2nd ESUI Meeting to spotlight current approaches, controversies and prospects

The 2nd Meeting of the EAU Section of Urological Imaging (ESUI) which will take place on 19-20 October 2012 in Berlin, Germany, aims to tie together all relevant points of discussion and provide the delegates with a workable and applied knowledge of best practices and controversial issues as well as understanding of trends and prospective developments.

From all angles

The use of imaging techniques at various stages of disease management continues to be a matter of discussion as opposed to surgery, staging by imaging versus statistical models and many more. The programme of the meeting accommodates for all these discussions, aiming to cover the subject matter from all angles relevant to clinical practice.

Within the context of these discussions, the delegates will hear a number of presentations, all clustered to cover various disease groups. In the section on prostate cancer, for instance, the programme will feature “C-TRUS for the diagnosis of prostate cancer” by Prof. T. Loch (Flensburg, DE); “MRI – am image fusion for the diagnosis of prostate cancer” by Prof. A. Villers (Lille, FR), “Contrast enhanced ultrasound for the diagnosis of prostate cancer” by Prof. H. Wijkstra (Amsterdam, NL) among others.

In his commentary, Prof. Wijkstra told EUT that the main point of discussion today is the value of all available imaging techniques.

“At this moment the focus is on MRI, however I believe that, for example, contrast ultrasound is far more suitable in terms of costs and time,” he said. “Contrast ultrasound using quantification techniques is very sensitive in detecting and localizing prostate cancer, therefore this technique could decrease number of biopsies and could pave the way for focal treatments and active surveillance strategies.”

He also mentioned that some of the most debatable issues in the field of imaging concern the existing methods of validation.

How I do it

One fourth of all presentations scheduled for the first day of the meeting will be dedicated to applied learning. The unique format of “How I do it” lectures, each following a more theoretical discussion on the topic, offers the opportunities for the speakers to share their enormous expertise and experience with the audience.

Within this series, the delegates will hear “3D ultrasound or template biopsy” by H.U. Ahmed (London, GB), “Ransomised TRUS-guided biopsy” by Prof. V. Scattoni, Milan (IT), “Histoscanning-guided biopsy” by Prof. L. Simmons (London, GB) and more.

Imagine the future

The future of imagining, its role in urology in the upcoming years and possible advances in technology will be discussed during the full-day session on the second day of the meeting. From molecular and bimolecular imaging to DYNA-CT and triple spectroscopy to optical coherence tomography, the delegates will be able to immerse themselves in the world of the latest technological advances and hear the opinion of experts on their value and possible future applications.

Also during this day, Europe’s top imaging experts will be presenting at the meeting, including Profs. J de la Rosette (Amsterdam, NL), M. Ritter (Manheim, DE), F. Frauscher (Innsbruck, AT) , A. Bossi (Villejuif, FR) and others.

Prof. J. Walz (Marseille, FR), the chairman of the ESUI and meeting president, said that this event promises to be highly dynamic, forward-looking and interactive. As usual, the delegates will be able to network and talk to the presenters during scheduled coffee-breaks and lunches.

Visit the ESUI Meeting website for information on registration