As in the previous years, EANpages asked EAN committee members, panel chairs, and invited speakers which session one should not miss at the upcoming congress in Lisbon 2018. Please find their answers below!
Stefan Evers, Co-Chair of the EAN Scientific Panel Headache
Presidential Symposium: Named Lectures
on Sunday June 17th, 2018 between 10:00 and 12:00
I am in particular excited that Prof. Olesen from Copenhagen will hold one of the named lectures. He is one of the most important headache researchers and the founder of the modern headache classification.
Max J. Hilz, Prof. Dr.
Dept. of Neurology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai , New York, NY, USA
Special Session 3: Autonomic dysfunction as early markers in rare and neurodegenerative diseases
on Saturday June 16th, 2018 between 14:45 and 16:15
Autonomic disorders accompany many neurological diseases. Still, there is too little education and knowledge regarding the evaluation and differential diagnosis of central and peripheral autonomic disorders. The “Special Session on Autonomic dysfunction as early markers in rare and neurodegenerative diseases” helps better understand autonomic diseases and addresses two major differential diagnostic topics: Multiple system atrophy is a difficult differential diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, pure autonomic failure, Dementia with Lewy bodies, and other Parkinsonian syndromes. The lecture on hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies will moreover enhance the understanding of autonomic dysfunction in neuropathies and further the insight into the diagnosis of rare neuropathies.
In summary, the lectures by four experts will enable the audience to better understand the value of autonomic testing for the differentiation of highly relevant common as well as rare neurological diseases. The session will link the overall neurological insights of the audience with an enhanced understanding of the autonomic nervous system.
Steven Laureys – Member of Scientific Panel “Come and chronic disorders of consciousness”; Chairperson and Speaker at Symposium 6 at #EAN2018
GIGA Consciousness, University of Liège, Belgium
Symposium 6: Coma: Neuromodulation, imaging and neurobiology
on Monday June 18th, 2018 between 15:00 and 17:00
The diagnosis of patients with disorders of consciousness remains a challenge for neurologists. Clinical consensus diagnosis yields up to 40% misdiagnosis when compared to gold-standard behavioural assessments.
Standardized, reproducible and time-efficient clinical scales help to increase the diagnostic accuracy. Nowadays, neuroimagery techniques also provide complementary diagnostic tools allowing the detection of consciousness even in patients with sensory-motor impairments. Pitfalls in the behavioural evaluation of these patients presenting a cognitive-motor dissociation will be addressed with an insight on how to optimize our everyday practice.
Beyond diagnosis also lies the prognostic dimension which is essential for therapeutical decisions, ethical questions and families. New MRI tools using structural changes to predict outcome will be presented during this sessionCurrent treatment options for these patients are very limited, and promising transcranial direct current stimulation methods which may be key to future therapies will be tackled.
Last but not least, a brand-new clinical scale for fast and reliable assessment of patients will be introduced for the first time!
On June 18, I will be thrilled to hear the latest advances on how to assess, diagnose and treat disorders of consciousness during this symposium which promises to keep the audience awake, aroused and fully conscious!
Riccardo Soffietti – Member Programme Committee; Chairperson and Speaker at Symposium 8 at #EAN2018
University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Symposium 8: Advances in molecular characterisation and personalised therapies in brain tumors
on Tuesday June 19th, 2018 between 08:00 and 10:00
The topic is very hot and well inserted into the main theme of the congress.
Claudia Sommer, Chair Teaching Course sub-Committee
Universität Würzburg, Germany
Plenary Symposium 3: Overarching Theme: Molecular and genetic therapies for neurogenetic disorders
on Monday June 18th, 2018 between 10:00 and 12:00
Advance in the therapy for neurogenetic disorders has been particularly fast in recent years, and the mechanisms behind the treatment strategies are fascinating. This session will tell you about major breakthroughs and give you a glimpse at the future.
Victor Oliveira – Member Local Organising Committee Lisbon
Dept. Neurology Hospital Santa Maria / Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon
Teaching Course 16: Autoantibodies in neurological disorders – Level 2
on Tuesday June 19th, 2018 between 13:00 and 16:30
Neurologists are many times defeated with puzzling situations of unusual clinical presentations of diseases afflicting the nervous system.
New developments in physiopathology provide new tools to investigate and treat some of these patients.
Autoimmune involvement of nervous system in some clinical situations is dramatic and implies a permanent update of the neurologist to deliver the most accurate diagnosis and the most effective treatment.
So, this teaching course may fulfil the gap one may have in the most recent advances in this area.
Manuel Correia, Member Local Organising Committee
Neurology Department; Hospital de Santo António, Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Portugal
Career Development Session 1: Etiological investigation of disease: case-control studies
on Saturday June 16th, 2018 between 08:30 and 10:00
The programme is excellent with very attractive sessions, workshops, etc. However something that is always important is to investigate and determine the cause of diseases, and so the case-control studies is a method for that. Back to basics I will don’t miss a course on case-control studies, planning and analysis
Alessandra Fanciulli, MD PhD
Innsbruck Medical University, Austria
Focused Workshop 6: EAN/MDS-ES: Management of Parkinson’s disease in non-routine
on Sunday June 17th, 2018 between 08:00 and 09:30
How should a patient reschedule his therapy, if a trip from Austria to Australia is planned?
What to advice for the Ramadan period? Tricky aspects of Parkinson therapy, which are worth to know.
Daniel Kondziella, MD, PhD, FEBN
Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen
Interactive Session 7 – EAN/MDS-ES: Mixed movement disorders: what do we see and how do we approach
on Tuesday June 19th, 2018 between 13:00 and 14:30
Most of us chose to become a neurologist because no other medical discipline has such a wide differential diagnosis, appealing to the neurological Sherlock Holmes in us. However, the more we become sub-specialized, the more we lose touch with other areas of our field. Unless we make an effort, 21st century neurology will become what internal medicine became in the 20th century – an anachronistic discipline falling apart into its various components. Fortunately, EAN congresses are excellent opportunities to brush up knowledge in our areas of professional neglect – I will not miss out on this session on movement disorders because I hardly ever encounter such patients any longer.
