The fourth Pan-Hellenic meeting of the Greek Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery found place in Thessaloniki, Northern Greece, between the 19th and the 22nd of May 2011. During these four sunny and warm days, Thessaloniki welcomed well-known surgeons from all over Greece but also from Europe for a very interesting congress under the presidency of Prof. G. Basdanis. The Congress Venue, a hotel next to the White Tower of Thessaloniki and the statue of Alexander the Great, enriched the surgical meeting with a cultural element of this mesmerizing Greek city. Besides, its position next to the sea and the newly refurbished city waterfront, which is already bustling with people throughout the day but especially during the sunset, was enough to enrich these 4 days with the flair and romance of summer, which has almost already begun. The round tables and lectures of the meeting included subjects from the whole spectrum of colorectal surgery, from open to laparoscopic surgery and from older techniques to the newest innovations in surgery. The meeting started on the afternoon of the 19th of May, with round tables on Crohn’s disease, management of diverticulosis, molecular carcinogenesis, and a very interesting round table on complications following colon cancer surgery. The opening ceremony found place on that evening, with a brilliant speech on medicolegal issues and a captivating choir performance. The next day started early, with two interactive round tables on hemorrhoidal disease and perianal fistulas, where participants were asked to vote on questions according to their experience and knowledge. The answer percentages were shown to the audience and some very interesting results arose, which lead to discussions. Further round tables included ulcerative colitis, new progress in colorectal cancer management, and modern surgical technology. Two well-known surgeons from Europe gave lectures on that day as well. Prof. Mario Pescatori from Italy gave a lecture on perineal-transanal procedures for rectal prolapse, in his own unique, humorous way. Furthermore, Mr. Paris Tekkis from the Imperial College of London and the Royal Marsden Hospital shared with the audience his experience on abdominosacral resections for advanced pelvic malignancy with some unique intraoperative pictures but also on the surgical management of FAP syndrome. The third day included very interesting round tables and the congress halls were crowded, even though the weather outside was warm and the sea very inviting. Subjects included laparoscopic and robotic colorectal surgery, anal surgery, management of hepatic metastases of colorectal origin, and thromboprophylaxis. The Sunday morning, last day of the meeting, included only two round tables before the closing remarks and ceremony, but the thematology on colorectal laparoscopic surgery training and the state of laparoscopic surgery in Greece were enough to gather surgeons of various ages in the lecture halls, even if only for a few hours. During the congress, a second hall was used for the presentations of free lectures and video lectures from hospitals around Greece. The presentations were held mostly by younger surgeons and residents, a fact that made them even more appealing to the audience. Also, a seminar for nurses was held during the first three mornings of the congress with very good attendance. A formal dinner found place on Saturday evening in the ‘‘Yacht Club’’ of the Congress Venue with brilliant food and wine, giving M. G. Pramateftakis (&) 4th Surgical Department, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Antheon 1, Panorama, 55236 Thessaloniki, Greece e-mail: mpramateftakis@hotmail.com
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Sep 27, 2023
Contrast Media & Molecular Imaging 
Open Access
