Professional issues get set to come under scrutiny at ECR 08

ECR is well known for its state-of-the-art clinical lectures and refresher courses, but its professional challenge sessions also look set to generate plenty of interest in Vienna in March. Delegates will learn more about women in radiology, quality management, and teleradiology, and other plenary talks will concentrate on interactions between general practitioners and radiologists.

"We need to start the dialogue and engage with other disciplines," said Prof. Dr. Maximilian Reiser, president of ECR 08. "GPs often order examinations, but their knowledge of radiation exposure and other topics may be poor. We need to know more about GPs' needs and make them aware of what we can offer them."

Reiser wants ECR attendees to learn how an appropriate imaging examination can allow a GP to solve a patient's problem, avoiding the need for a patient to consult several specialists and facilitating earlier initiation of a suitable therapy. He also thinks GPs should know about the strengths and weaknesses of common procedures and give better information and advice to patients.

Another serious challenge facing the profession is how to retain and maximize input from female radiologists. Speakers at a special session will discuss how to integrate family-friendly work patterns in radiology departments, how to be a good parent and academic radiologist, and how to respond to the unique circumstances facing East Europeans. All are subjects that have not been covered at a congress before-and that apply to men as well.

Reiser is aware, however, that he does not want to be patronizing toward women when addressing these potentially sensitive issues. For this reason, he invited Prof. Helen Carty from Liverpool, who was president of ECR 2004, to oversee and moderate the session and to ensure that speakers address real problems in a constructive way.

ECR organizers have accepted 1784 abstracts, which is 4.8% more than last year. Of these, 263 come from Germany, 244 from Italy, 151 from Spain, 129 from the U.K., 126 from Japan, and 105 from China. A total of 5264 abstracts were submitted, making an overall rejection rate of more than 66%.Neuroradiology accounted for 181 accepted abstracts, followed by interventional radiology (161), musculoskeletal (156), chest (144), cardiac (142), abdominal viscera (134), genitourinary (133), and GI tract (132).

As head of the Institute of Clinical Ra­diology at the University of Munich, Reiser oversees a department with 60 full-time equivalent radiologists and80 FTE radiographers. They perform around 450,000 examinations per year at two sites, the Grosshadern and Innerstadt Clinics, which were merged about eight years ago.

His main form of relaxation is tennis, and every Sunday evening he takes part in what he refers to as "an old man's doubles game." He also enjoys golf and art.

ECR will take place from 7 to 11 March. More information is available at myESR.org