OMED Endoscopy Instrument Catalogue

The OMED Endoscopy Instrument Catalogue is an online service created by OMED. This global database serves as a central point for any endoscopist wishing to purchase endoscopes, endosopic devices, stents, cleaning, and disinfection products. The catalogue does not attempt to compare equipment but provides an overview of available products, lists the main features of each item, and provides contact information for the relevant supplier. Each chapter includes short comments on the method or new equipment and major references.

» View the OMED Endoscopy Instrument Catalogue

 APDW 2009

“New Frontier in Digestive Medicine” is the theme of this year’s APDW 2009 (September 27-30, 2009 in Taipei, Taiwan) and recent progress in both gastrointestinal and liver disease will be highlighted in the scientific program. A large panel of experts from around the world will share their experiences and present their research at this congress. It will definitely provide the best atmosphere for discussing groundbreaking research and progress in the field of digestive medicine. At the same time, a live demonstration of therapeutic endoscopy will be conducted in order to encourage the development of these techniques in Asian-Pacific region.

OMED will present two interactive workshops as part of the Asian Pacific Digestive Week:

Sunday, September 27, 2009: Endoscopy Directors Workshop (EDW): This interactive workshop promotes education and knowledge sharing in the endoscopy community and provides participants with the knowledge required to organise their endoscopy service, to develop their own protocols, quality assurance and training.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009: Advanced Endoscopy Directors Course (ADEC): This course is focused on the endoscopic technology and practices for diagnosis in the upper and lower GI as well as small bowel. Particular attention is paid to proper usage of equipment, diagnosis, and therapy. Participants will also view cases illustrating advanced upper and lower GI endoscopy.

 World Congress: GASTRO 2009, London, November 21-25, 2009

Live Endoscopy at GASTRO 2009
At GASTRO 2009 (November 21-25), on Monday - Wednesday, live endoscopy demonstrations will be broadcast from international centres in Hyderabad, London and Rome. These three centers are listed as official OMED Centers of Excellence and will ensure a profoundly global context to this educational event in digestive endoscopy.

Monday, November 23, 2009: Live from the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad, India, 2.00-5.15 pm, chaired by Dr N. Reddy
Tuesday, November 24, 2009: Live from St. Mark's Hospital, London, UK, 8.30-12.30 am, chaired by Dr B. Saunders
Wednesday, November 25, 2009: Live from the Gemelli Hospital, Rome, Italy, 8.30-12.30 am chaired by Professor G. Costamagna.

 OMED Showcase: Centers of Excellence

This month OMED highlights the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatopancreatology at the Erasme University Hospital in Brussels, Belgium

Originally opened in 1977, the Erasme University Hospital currently employs around 3 000 staff.

Their mission is to provide superior health care, ever mindful of each patient's dignity and individuality, and to deliver services in a way that meets the needs and expectations of the patients and their families. The highly specialized facilities include a team of 18 endoscopists. Under the direction of Professor Jacques Devière 10.000 procedures per year are performed with UGI (4.000) colonoscopies (2.000) ERCP (900) and other therapeutic procedures (stenting, bariatric,dilation, PEG, enteroscopies-150-capsule etc.).

Teachers and researchers at the Hôpital Erasme have a long tradition of collaboration with colleagues throughout Belgium and other countries. Every year, 300 medical students and many other nursing and physical therapy students are educated or receive practical work experience at the Hôpital Erasme.

The next course of Gastroenterology will be held from 21-23 June 2010.

Dr. Gregory Haber is at the Erasme Hospital in Brussels with Dr. Andre Van Gossum where he is performing a double balloon enteroscopy on a patient with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome who has had two previous operations for small bowel obstruction and has recently had bleeding with a hemoglobin of 8.0 grams percent.  A capsule enteroscopy was performed which demonstrated multiple polyps in the small bowel, and Dr. Haber is performing a double balloon enteroscopy to evaluate the small bowel with the hope that a specific bleeding polyp will be found that can be removed. During the push enteroscopy, there are multiple polyps found throughout the upper intestinal tract and several polypectomies were performed for the biggest polyps. Dr. Haber explains the concept and the procedures for performing double balloon enteroscopy.

» View live demonstration video

 NYSGE: Eosinophilic Esophagitis

By Arnon Lambroza, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University

The New York Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy is the largest regional GI endoscopy society in the United States. The Society is dedicated to the teaching and advancement of gastrointestinal endoscopy. The society runs numerous programs throughout the year, including an annual fellow’s endoscopy course each summer, and a major postgraduate endoscopy conference each fall. The next course will be held in New York from December 16-19, 2009.

Each month a syllabus entry from the 32nd Annual New York Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Course can be accessed here. This month the entry is entitled Eosinophilic Esophagitis by Arnon Lambroza, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is an increasingly recognized disorder that presents with dysphagia and food impaction and is characterized by a dense eosinophilic infiltration of the esophagus. Eosinophils can be found in the esophagus in a number of conditions, including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), collagen vascular disorders, parasitic infection and eosinophilic gastroenteritis. EE is a primary esophageal disorder in which there are at least 15-20 eosinophils per high power field (hpf) on microscopy, without associated eosinophilic infiltration of the stomach or intestine. Both the proximal and distal esophagus may be involved and the density of eosinophils may be focally variable. Until recently, the eosinophilic changes seen with GERD were thought to be present mostly in the distal esophagus and limited to a density of less than 5-10 per hpf. However, it is now recognized that there can be significant overlap between GERD and allergic EE. Eosinophil counts greater than 100 per hpf can be seen in some patients with GERD, even at multiple levels of the esophagus.

» Read more

 Brainteaser/image of the month

by Bjorn Rembacken

This lesion was found on the anterior wall of the gastric body in a 52 year old man. Previous surface biopsies had only shown a large number of eosinophils infiltrating the mucosa and immunohistochemistry has been negative when staining for desmin.

What is the likely diagnosis?

a) gastric lymphoma

b) benign gastic ulcer

c) gastro intestinal stromal tumour (GIST)

d) early gastric cancer

e) inflammatory fibroid polyp

» Click Here for the Answer and Explanation

 ICE2011

Ten of the most prestigious worldwide surgical and medical organizations (including OMED) deeply involved in the specialty of endoscopy will host a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Endoscopy. They will commemorate the beginning of endoscopy as a separate specialty of medicine for this International Congress of Endoscopy.  The meeting will be held in Los Angeles, California from September 9-15, 2011.   The organizing core societies are:

» Read more

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