IPA on home turf
The most significant regional congress of physicians and other health professionals specialising in pain management, the 25th Czech-Slovak Dialogues on Pain and the 31st Slovak Dialogues on Pain, was held in Bratislava from 3 to 5 October.
As in previous years, physicians from EuroPainClinics who are also instructors from the faculty of the Interventional Pain Academy delivered a series of expert lectures on interventional algesiology.
EuroPainClinics specialists and Interventional Pain Academy instructors presented valuable insights that reflected innovations and global trends in interventional treatment, the results of clinical trials, and shared clinical experiences from their daily practice in the treatment of patients with back pain, joint pain, and other anatomical structures. The congress programme commenced on 3 October with an educational workshop entitled “Advanced USG-navigated blockades in pain treatment”. The workshop was led by IPA instructors. Who also served as speakers and instructors under the guidance of Peter Lenčéš, MD, FIPP, a specialist at EuroPainClinics Bardejov. Further details regarding this event can be found in the subsequent article here.
The expert lectures delivered by our medical practitioners were held under the patronage of Róbert Rapčan, MD, FIPP, MBA, PhD, who serves as the chairman of the Section of Interventional Algesiology (SIA) at SSŠLB, is a member of the scientific committee of the congress, and chaired the Interventional Algesiology sessions and serves as the medical director of EuroPainClinics. Additionally, he is the founder of the Interventional Pain Academy. He was presented with a distinguished accolade at the congress in recognition of his exemplary long-term contributions to the field of interventional pain management. His unwavering commitment to the advancement of this field and his far-reaching efforts to raise awareness of its importance, both nationally and internationally, were also acknowledged. Additionally, his dedication to medical education and the enhancement of clinical practice for pain physicians was lauded. We would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to the doctor on this significant recognition.
International character
The international character of the congress was underscored by the participation of eminent medical professionals from around the globe. Who accepted MUDr. Rapčan’s invitation to contribute to the proceedings and share their invaluable clinical experience.
The inaugural session of the Interventional Algesiology I programme, chaired by MUDr. Rapčan and Dr. Sudhir Diwan, commenced with an online lecture delivered by Dr. Sudhir Diwan (USA) on the subject of “Intradiscal injection of BMAC-derived MSCs”. In this lecture, Dr. Diwan provided a comprehensive overview of the advantages and advancements of regenerative medicine in the field of discogenic pain. The esteemed Dr. Sherdil Nath (Sweden) proceeded to present “Cervical Radiofrequency Medial Branch Neurotomy without fear,” wherein he elucidated the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to cervical (neck) facet joint pain through the utilisation of radiofrequency neurotomy under X-ray guidance. The international guest speakers were concluded by Dr. Manojit Sinha. Who presented an innovative minimally invasive procedure of basivertebral nerve ablation as an effective therapeutic approach to relieve vertebrogenic pain in his lecture, entitled “Basivertebral Nerve Ablation for Vertebrogenic Pain”.
IPA lectures on home turf
Subsequently, Róbert Rapčan, M.D., shared the initial findings of a new prospective observational clinical study, EuroPainClinics, in which the research team evaluated the efficacy of stem cell therapy in the treatment of disc herniation and healing of annular tears following endoscopic discectomy.
Ladislav Kočan, MD, PhD, FIPP, concluded the inaugural expert session with his lecture, “Complex Challenges of FBSS: Current Perspectives,” in which he summarized the findings of a clinical study evaluating the efficacy of three minimally invasive procedures performed in patients with FBSS syndrome. These procedures included advanced diagnosis and treatment using fiber optics and fluoroscopy to examine the epidural space, caudal neuroplasty with a Racz catheter, and repeated caudal epidural block.
Róbert Tirpák, M.D., FIPP, was appointed as the chairperson of the forthcoming session, entitled ‘Interventional Algesiology II‘. He also initiated the new presentation format with an expert message, entitled ‘PRF-Leiden Consensus’. He provided a comprehensive overview of the results of the expert conference held this year in Leiden, the Netherlands, which focused on the pulsed radiofrequency method in depth, including its effectiveness, safety, and new standards.
The lecture, delivered by MUDr. L’ubomír Poliak, FIPP, was entitled “Trigeminal neuralgia: The presentation, entitled “Evaluation of therapeutic interventional procedures over the last 3 years of work,” provided a comprehensive overview of the clinical experience in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, a condition characterised by severe pain. In his lecture, he presented the findings of several years of research conducted at our institution, including the use of balloon compression as a relatively rapid and secure method for treating trigeminal neuralgia.
In his communication, “Endoscopically assisted annuloplasty in the treatment of discogenic pain,” Michal Matias, MD, FIPP, Medical Director of EuroPainClinics Czech Republic and esteemed member of the IPA faculty, addressed the issue of axial or discogenic pain in patients with low back pain and the potential for its treatment through a minimally invasive endoscopic method. This was based on the pilot results of the treatment in a selected group of patients.
The presentation of our specialists was concluded with a separate lecture block, during which our experts Michal Matias, MD, FIPP, and Martin Griger, MD, FIPP, PhD, DESA, were invited to present their findings. In an engaging pro-con debate, the speakers presented a comprehensive evaluation of the clinical efficacy of corticosteroids, the most commonly used drugs in interventional pain management, which aroused the active interest of the present audience.
We would like to express our gratitude to our medical practitioners and colleagues from the IPA for their active involvement and the invaluable insights they have shared. We are gratified that our experts were able to disseminate a plethora of intriguing topics that may prove advantageous for other physicians and healthcare institutions.
We would be grateful if you would consider participating in future IPA workshops and courses, where you would have the opportunity to share your expertise with our faculty members.
Conference organiser: EDUPROFIPHARM, Slovakia
