ISDE News

Achalasia is a relatively rare esophageal motility disorder that is mainly characterized by a lack of peristalsis of the esophageal body and absence or incomplete relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. Its symptons, frequently heard from patients’ stories, produce a huge impact on their lives.

The ISDE (International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus) held its first live virtual presentation and discussion regarding achalasia of the esophagus through its types, how to diagnose and what is the most appropriate achalasia treatment. Discussion also included the role of achalasia surgery and common questions such as, what is the role of POEM in achalasia treatment.

This virtual presentation was moderated by Education Committee Co-Chairs, Simon Law and Lawrence Ho, this virtual event included didactic lectures covering updates in diagnostic assessments, endoscopic approaches, and surgery. This interactive session explored multidisciplinary approaches to tailor treatments and is presented in five segments below.

Updates on pathophysiology and work for Achalasia presented by Vani Konda from Baylor University Medical Center (USA)

Update on endoscopic treatment for Achalasia presented by Haruhiro Inoue, Showa University (Japan)

Surgical treatment for Achalasia presented by Marco Patti, University of North Carolina (USA)

Effects of Post Myotomy GER in Achalasic Patients: Data from a 65 Years Long Follow-up Program presented by Sandro Mattioli, University of Bologna (Italy)

Achalasia Case Discussion lead by Vani Konda from Baylor University Medical Center (USA)

ISDE wishes to recognize and thank the following individuals for their contributions to this virtual presentation:

• Vani Konda, Baylor University Medical Center (USA)
• Haruhiro Inoue, Showa University (Japan)
• Marco Patti, University of North Carolina (USA)
• Sandro Mattioli, University of Bologna (Italy)
• André Brandalise, University of Campinas (Brazil)

Join us for the next virtual presentation titled Esophageal Cancer Virtual Tumour Board on August 20, 2020.

Join our community as an ISDE Member to receive updates and other benefits.

By Sheila K. Krishnadath

Professor Wang served as the 13^th President of the ISDE. His participation with societies in East Asian countries, such as the People’s Republic of China and Japan, facilitated the connection with the Chinese Society of Diseases of the Esophagus and the ISDE. This has been an outstanding benefit and resulted in an increased number of Chinese members. 

Find out more about Professor Wang and the many achievements throughout his career in Diseases of the Esophagus, Volume 33 Issue 7, July 2020 or download the biography here. 

About the Presidential Biography Series

The Presidential Biography Series is being published as part of the celebration for the 40^th anniversary of the first ISDE Congress, visit our Celebrating 40 Years page to find out more. We hope you find the series an informative look at the history of the ISDE over the past 40 years. 

Sincerely,

Giovanni Zaninotto and Neil Gupta
Editors in Chief, Diseases of the Esophagus (DOTE) 

By Cesare Hassan and Philip W.Y. Chiu

Guidelines committees chairs are pleased to present another virtual roundtable on the COVID-19 in follow-up to the launch of the ISDE Guidance Statement and first roundtable discussion on managing upper-GI endoscopy and surgery during the outbreak. ISDE Guidelines Committee Chair, Cesare Hassan, was joined by an international panel from Singapore, Hong Kong, India and Russia sharing their experiences and perspectives on practicing minimally invasive surgery during COVID 19 (ELSA Guidelines), restarting clinical services for endoscopy and upper GI surgery, and evidence of upper GI endoscopy as Aerosol Generating Procedure.

ISDE wishes to recognize and thank the following individuals for their contributions to this roundtable discussion.

International Panelists

Sergey Kashin, Yaroslavl Regional Cancer Hospital Yaroslavl (Russia)
CS Pramesh, Tata Memorial Hospital Mumbai (India)
Asim Shabbir, National University of Singapore (Singapore)
Shannon Chan, Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)

Moderated by Cesare Hassan, Nuovo Regina Margherita Hospital, Rome, Italy 

We are pleased to announce the ISDE Board of Directors and Committees are working hard to create opportunities for members and our community at large to stay up-to-date. A series of virtual presentations will be introduced over the coming months and we are pleased to announce the first ISDE Virtual Presentation on:

Multidisciplinary approaches to Achalasia

The ability to diagnose and characterize achalasia has improved with advancements in technology. Treatment options include surgical myotomy and endoscopic treatments. This webinar on achalasia presents didactic lectures covering updates in diagnostic assessments, endoscopic approaches, and surgery and invites the audience to engage in an interactive session to explore multidisciplinary approaches to tailor treatments with case-based presentations and panel discussions.

Date & Time
Wednesday, July 29 at 1:00 PM GMT

• New York 9:00 AM EDT
• London 2:00 PM BST
• Hong Kong 9:00 PM HKT

Program & Speakers

• Update on pathophysiology and work up for Achalasia - Vani Konda, Baylor University Medical Center, USA
• Update on endoscopic treatment for Achalasia - Haruhiro Inoue, Showa University, Japan
• Surgical treatment for Achalasia - Marco Patti, University of North Carolina, USA
• Case presentations - André Brandalise, University of Campinas, Brazil and Vani Konda, Baylor University Medical Center, USA
• Moderated by Simon Law, University of Hong Kong, China and Lawrence Ho Khek-Yu, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Registration and Information is available now.

If you cannot attend the live presentation a recording will be made available on our Youtube Channel after. A full listing of upcoming virtual presentations can be found in the ISDE Events Calendar.

The latest Journal Citation Reports (Source Clarivate, 2020) have recently been released and we are delighted to reveal that the latest Impact Factor for Diseases of the Esophagus has risen to 2.386*.

In recognition of this achievement, we have curated a reading list of the top ten cited articles from recent years. Please enjoy the collection and make sure you're up to date on the research making the largest impact in the field.

Browse the collection

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) Roundtable Discussion

Find out what you need to know about EOE on our new EOE page: This includes a list of resources and a roundtable discussion video lead by Arjan Redenoord during the ISDE 2016 Congress in Singapore.

New ISDE Guidelines Page

Looking for guidelines on Management of upper-GI Endoscopy & Surgery during COVID-19 or Esophageal Achalasia? You can find these and others on our new Guidelines page.

Table of Contents

Checkout the latest DOTE issue for articles on Benign Esophageal and Malignant Esophageal Diseases; Find the full table of contents here...

Relevant issues in tumor regression grading of histopathological response to neoadjuvant treatment in adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction

DOTE Volume 33, Issue 6 | Editor's Choice
Free Article

Multimodality treatment combining surgery and oncologic treatment has become widely applied in curative treatment of esophageal and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. There is a need for a standardized tumor regression grade scoring system for clinically relevant effects of neoadjuvant treatment effects. Read the full Relevant issues in tumor regression grading of histopathological response to neoadjuvant treatment in adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction article here.

Nationwide Estimate of Emergency Department Visits in the U.S. Related to Caustic Ingestion

DOTE Volume 33, Issue 6| Editor's Choice
Free Article

Caustic ingestion, whether intentional or unintentional, may result in significant morbidity. Our aim was to provide an estimate of the incidence and outcomes of caustic ingestion among emergency department (ED) visits across the United States. Read the Nationwide Estimate of Emergency Department Visits in the U.S. Related to Caustic Ingestion article for free.

Long term oncological outcomes following completely minimally invasive esophagectomy versus open esophagectomy

DOTE Volume 33, Issue 6| Featured Article
Members Article

In the last 20 years, the minimally invasive esophagectomy has gained more space in the treatment of esophageal cancer due to its benefits in the short-term evolution. However, the oncological long-term outcomes still remain unclear.

This great systematic review and meta-analyses compares groups of patients submitted to open surgery and minimally invasive resection with follow-up over 5 years and tries to bring that answer.

Find the Long term oncological outcomes following completely minimally invasive esophagectomy versus open esophagectomy article here.

ISDE leaders and members are celebrating 40 years of contributing to the development and dissemination of information about the esophagus. Join us in commemorating the success and impact of past Presidents in the ISDE Presidential Biography Series.

ISDE Presidential Biography Series:
Mark K. Ferguson, MD - ISDE President 2008 - 2010

Dr. Ferguson has served many years of active participation and leadership in the organization. He has presented original material from his own clinical experiences at several meetings and led and participated in many panel discussions. Through these activities he has fulfilled the ISDE’s mission to inform and guide international surgeons in our care of patients with both benign and malignant diseases of the esophagus.

Find out more about Dr. Ferguson in his Presidential Biography.

New Website Page - Celebrating 40 Years
Learn about the development of ISDE and the evolution of its world congresses on our new 40 year anniversary page. This new page includes vintage ISDE logos, a photo gallery, videos and more.

The 2020 ISDE Board of Directors Elections will open on July 6, 2020. Candidates for the following positions will soon be announced: President (2020-2021), President-Elect (2020-2021), Vice President (2020-2021), Secretary (2020-2022), Treasurer (2020-2022) and six Directors (2020-2022).

Voting will be conducted online from July 6-August 9, 2020. ISDE members will receive an email containing a unique election ID link. Electors will simply click on the link to cast their anonymous votes.

Stay tuned for the official list of candidates announcement.

Looking to participate in the elections? Join or renew your ISDE membership here.

In place of the rescheduled ISDE 2020 World Congress (new dates: August 19 to 21, 2021), ISDE will hold a series of educational webinars, to ensure that you don’t miss out on the latest developments in the field of diseases of the esophagus.

We can reveal that the topics of the webinars will be as follows:

- Surgery for esophageal cancer – improving outcomes

- Multimodal therapy for esophageal cancer

- Benign esophageal diseases, and endoscopic management of neoplasia

Stay tuned for more information. We can’t wait to share more details with you soon!