Interventional radiology emerged in 1964, when Charles Dotter defied sceptics and insisted that angiography, until then a purely diagnostic tool, could be used to actively treat patients.

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, as it would later be called, was born.

Dotter’s revolutionary concept of “catheter therapy” soon sparked the development of other minimally invasive tools and techniques.

Hear Josef Rösch, a major figure in the field, recount some of the main breakthroughs:

Two societies initially represented interventional radiologists in Europe: the European College of Angiography and the European Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology. On April 24, 1985, the societies were officially merged during a

joint annual meeting and postgraduate course in Vienna, and the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe — CIRSE — came into existence. The new society had a combined membership of around 300.

Friedrich Olbert, a key figure in CIRSE‘s establishment, shares his favourite memories of these eventful times.

In May 1986 the first CIRSE congress and joint meeting with the American SCVIR took place in Jerusalem, followed by meetings in Porto Cervo, Berlin, Paris, Brussels, and Oslo, with steadily rising attendance figures of up to 800.

With membership numbers increasing and interventional radiology procedures impacting a growing range of medical conditions, CIRSE shifted focus, intensifying its training, education and research programmes.

A major development followed when the scientific peer-reviewed journal CardioVascular and Interventional Radiology (CVIR) became CIRSE’s official journal in 1991.
In 2000, the CIRSE Foundation was established, enabling the society to further step up investments in education and clinical research.
By 2004, membership hit the 1,500 mark with more than 3,500 congress participants at the annual meeting. That same year, Ms. Birgit Läubli retired from her role as Executive Director and was awarded the Distinguished Fellowship in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the society.
CIRSE celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2005.

The Executive Committee seized the occasion to conduct a thorough strategic review, which culminated in the decision to establish a permanent office in Vienna, sparking further growth and progress.

Opening headquarters in Vienna and hiring permanent staff marked a new era. The society’s emphasis on highly professional organisational services was soon reflected in robust congress attendance figures. Over 4,700 delegates attended CIRSE 2006 in Rome. At CIRSE 2009 in Lisbon, that number rose to 5,300. Almost 6,600 participants made it to CIRSE 2013 in Barcelona.

But mere numbers don’t tell the full story. Drawing on the expertise of several newly-established committees, including one dedicated entirely to programme planning, the scientific programme has become increasingly multi-faceted, comprehensive and clearly structured, with sessions split into six separate tracks. The society has also introduced additional, specialised conferences, such as ECIO and ICCIR, with the IDEAS seminar to debut at CIRSE 2015.

Investments in member services, including the addition of group membership, attracted practitioners from all over the globe, and encouraged increased participation by national IR societies.

Membership rapidly expanded, increasing from around 1,500 in 2005 to over 6,200 today, including growing numbers from outside of Europe.

While delivering outstanding educational programmes remains CIRSE’s key priority, the society has also become an important representative of the IR community in diverse contexts, including standard setting, guideline and policy development, research, and collaboration with other organisations.

The following section introduces you to some of the society’s main initiatives.

We very much appreciate that it would not have been possible for us to keep expanding our activities without our members’ dedication and professionalism. Here’s to many more years of excellence and innovation!

Highlights

2006 Rome | IT

The Palazzo dei Congressi served as an impressive backdrop for the first CIRSE Annual Meeting under the administration of the newly established CIRSE office in Vienna.

Executive Committee members Andy Adam, Johannes Lammer and Michael Lee join Lindsay Machan, whose Roesch Lecture outlined challenges and opportunities presented by the latest drugs and devices.
Distinguished faculty members from India offered intriguing insights into IR developments on the subcontinent during the CIRSE meets India session.
Luigi Solbiati delivered a visionary Gruentzig Lecture on IR’s future role in fighting cancer.
The Film Interpretation Panel attracted a diverse group of influential historical figures, including José Ignacio Bilbao as Robin, Riccardo Lencioni as Julius Caesar, Adam Hatzidakis as Darth Vader, Wojciech Cwikiel as Dr. Evil, and Niall McEniff as the Pope.

2007 Athens | GR

Dimitris Kelekis, Elias Brountzos and Katerina Malagari served as Local Hosts for this unforgettable Annual Meeting.

Katerina Malagari catches up with Andy Adam on the Grand Bretagne roof garden.
President Lammer and Elias Brountzos pose with Dimitris Kelekis, who was awarded a Distinguished Fellowship.
Gruentzig Lecturer Julio Palmaz, an IR pioneer who invented the balloon-expandable stent, shared insights on metallic stents based on 20 years in practice.
Henrik Sillesen and his colleagues from the European Society for Vascular Surgery offered their perspectives on angiotherapy, EVAR and lower limb ischaemia in the CIRSE meets ESVS session.
Ernst-Peter Strecker shares a laugh with colleagues.
A distinguished faculty from China took part in the CIRSE meets China session, which included a presentation by Gao Jun Teng, who outlined the current status of IR in the country.
A group of dedicated delegates doing their part to prevent cardiovascular disease at the spectacular Olympic Stadium.

Disclaimer: In line with ethical standards, social events always take place outside of Congress hours, and participation is not covered by Congress registration fees.
Adam Hatzidakis organised CIRSE‘s first football tournament, which quickly became an immensely popular fixture at the annual conferences.

Disclaimer: In line with ethical standards, social events always take place outside of Congress hours, and participation is not covered by Congress registration fees.
Anna-Maria Belli, moonlighting as Artemis, targets her future presidency.

2008 Copenhagen | DK

Technological innovation loomed large in Copenhagen, with the event featuring a particularly extensive technical exhibition.

Local Host Poul Erik Andersen proved to be an outstanding partner.
Gold Medallists John Abele and Bill Cook, who both made seminal contributions to IR, pose with Frederick Keller, Jim Reekers and Andy Adam.
It was an honour to welcome representatives of the Japanese Society for Angiography and Interventional Radiology, who discussed BRTO, TACE and RFA in the CIRSE meets JSAIR session.
Aghiad Al-Kutoubi and his colleagues from the Pan Arab Society for Interventional Radiology gave diverse presentations, including on the local regulatory environment, in the CIRSE meets PAIRS session.
Roesch Lecturer John Kaufman outlined a roadmap for IR in a speech that foreshadowed the development of a dual certificate for interventional radiologsts in the United States.
A comprehensive patient awareness campaign, featuring a tailored exhibit and press conference, informed the public about the benefits of minimally invasive medicine.
Afshin Gangi, Anthony Watkinson and colleagues at the ever-popular Film Interpretation Panel, presenting tools and head-coverings that fortunately do not represent the latest radiation protection technology.

2009 Lisbon | PT

Attendance soared at the 2009 Annual Meeting, with over 5,300 delegates participating.

Paulo Vilares Morgado, shown here with José Bilbao, Jim Reekers and Elias Brountzos, ably chaired the Local Host Committee for the highly successful event.
Members of SOBRICE, posing here with Francisco Carnevale and Jim Reekers, presented lectures on complex renal artery aneurysms, carotid stenting, and select paediatric interventions in the CIRSE meets Brazil session.
Representatives of the European Society for the Study of Diabetes, shown here with Johannes Lammer, Jim Reekers and Jan Peregrin, provided important insights into peripheral vascular disease in the CIRSE meets EASD session.
The scientific programme included a significant number of hands-on workshops, offering delegates tangible introductions to a variety of procedures.

Disclaimer: In line with ethical standards, social events always take place outside of Congress hours, and participation is not covered by Congress registration fees.
Riccardo Lencioni‘s Gruentzig Lecture scrutinised developments in interventional oncology.
Michael Dake‘s Roesch Lecture addressed new frontiers in interventional radiology.
The Film Interpretation Panel, coordinated by Tarun Sabharwal and moderated by Mario Bezzi and Graham Plant, pitted senior interventional radiologists against their junior colleagues.
A special exhibition outlined the intriguing history of angiography in Portugal.
Delegates raised awareness of peripheral vascular disease by participating in the annual S.M.A.R.T. Run.

Disclaimer: In line with ethical standards, social events always take place outside of Congress hours, and participation is not covered by Congress registration fees.

2010 Valencia | ES

The mood was celebratory at the Annual Meeting in Valencia, which marked CIRSE’s 25^th anniversary.

Julio Palmero da Cruz provided great leadership as the local host.
The neurointerventions track made its debut in 2010, and featured several specialised sessions, including the first hands-on workshop on stroke therapy.
Members of the Latin American Society of Interventionism (SIDI), posing here with Jan Peregrin, provided valuable insights into the status of specific IR procedures in the region during the CIRSE meets Latin America session.
In the CIRSE meets ESA session, Patrick Wouters and other representatives of the European Society of Anaesthesiology underscored the importance of the proper use of anaesthesia in interventional radiology
The multi-faceted programme included a series of sessions on the crucial topic of health economics.
CIRSE and the European Federation of Radiographer Societies, headed by Graciano Paulo from 2011 to 2014, joined forces to offer four workshops especially designed for radiographers and nurses.
A government representative and President Jan Peregrin spoke at a highly successful media event, which highlighted interventional radiology’s role in treating liver cancer.
With Valencia hosting the 2010 America’s Cup, Alexis Kelekis and Christoph Binkert deftly navigated the Film Interpretation Panel, which occasionally took Viktor Berczi, Florian Wolf and Johannes Lammer through choppy waters.
Committed to strengthening the subspecialty’s credibility, CIRSE established the EBIR to offer a rigorous and standardised means for measuring IR expertise. Since 2010, successful candidates receive a certificate identifying them as EBIR holders, providing tangible evidence of their knowledge in the field. Twenty candidates sat for the first examination, held in Valencia in 2010, and sixteen passed. By now, over 350 interventional radiologists have obtained EBIR certification.

2011 Munich | DE

CIRSE 2011 boasted record-breaking attendance of almost 6,200 delegates and a cutting-edge technical exhibition that featured 30 new product launches.

Thanks to Local Hosts Thomas Helmberger and Josef Tacke, the entire event was smoothly organised.
President Jan Peregrin honoured Gold Medallist Jim Reekers and Distinguished Fellows John Kaufman, Anthony Watkinson and Lindsay Machan for their outstanding contributions to the society.
Distinguished members of the German Society of Interventional Radiology (DeGIR) analysed the status of IR in Germany as part of the CIRSE meets Germany session.
In a CIRSE meets Australia and New Zealand session, members of the Interventional Radiology Society of Australasia (IRSA) presented the latest developments and treatment options applied in their home countries.
With the emergence of advanced innovations, CIRSE emphasised hands-on practice, offering more workshops that allowed participants to gain practical insights into certain procedures. Here, expert Afshin Gangi demonstrates vertebroplasty.
Extensive media efforts dedicated to tumour and diabetes therapies highlighted minimally invasive treatment options. Here radiologist Dr. Walter Gross-Fengels gives a TV interview.
Aiming to improve patient safety, CIRSE launched the first-ever safety checklist for IR at the conference. It has been translated into 5 other languages, and is used widely across the globe.
The popular S.M.A.R.T run proved to be a healthy antidote to the busy scientific programme. Florian Wolf has been a particularly spirited competitor, finishing many runs as the proud winner.

Disclaimer: In line with ethical standards, social events always take place outside of Congress hours, and participation is not covered by congress registration fees.
Anna-Maria Belli, Dimitrios Tsetis and Fabrizio Fanelli catch up during the executive committee dinner.
O‘zapft is! Mick Lee kicks off yet another wonderful CIRSE Party at the traditional Löwenbräukeller.

2012 Lisbon | PT

5,600 m² of exhibition space provided ample room for the 115 exhibitors to showcase their latest technical innovations.

Local Host Paulo Almeida , depicted here with José Ignacio Bilbao and Mariano Gimenez, helped organise the excellent 2012 annual congress.
CIRSE 2012 saw the introduction of the Award of Excellence and Innovation honouring remarkable work in IR. The first award, sponsored by the R.W. Günther Foundation, was given to Jim Reekers and Amman Bolia for developing subintimal angioplasty.
In the CIRSE meets Italy session, representatives of the Italian Society of Medical Radiology (SIRM) discussed the potential and future of IR in Italy.
Malgorzata Szczerbo Trojanowska’s lecture outlined tips for treating recurrent varicocele.
Okan Akhan shared his expertise on pancreatic interventions as moderator on a panel dedicated to the issue.
Stefan Müller-Hülsbeck addressed participants in a workshop scrutinising arterial closure devices.
In 2012, CIRSE introduced a new session type – the Hot Topic Symposium. The first two symposia addressed the up-and-coming themes of vertebral augmentation and renal denervation.
For the first time, BTG kindly supported the annual run, donating its proceeds to the Austrian Childhood Cancer Organisation.

Disclaimer: In line with ethical standards, social events always take place outside of Congress hours, and participation is not covered by Congress registration fees.

Official Video

Your congress, your experience

IR and diabetic foot

Andreas Gruentzig lecture

2013 Barcelona | ES

With almost 6,600 delegates from 94 countries, attendance exceeded all previous records.

Local Hosts José Martínez Rodrigo (pictured here) and José Muñoz Ruiz-Canela contributed immensely to the success of the event.
Several outstanding members were honoured at the Opening Ceremony: James Spies, Peter Taylor and Bien Soo Tan were awarded distinguished fellowships, and José Ignacio Bilbao received the Gold Medal.
Mario Bezzi held a stimulating Roesch Lecture on the future of high-intensity focused ultrasound.
The topic of hypertension was thoroughly scrutinised in a joint session with the European Society of Hypertension (ESH), which also addressed potentially effective IR therapies.
To give delegates a better understanding of IR‘s status in Singapore, renowned interventional radiologists from the country discussed various treatment options in the CIRSE meets Singapore session.
Andrew Holden‘s brilliant Gruentzig Lecture put EVAR for AAA under the microscope.
In 2013, the first edition of the European Curriculum and Syllabus for IR was issued, strengthening efforts to establish IR as a medical subspecialty.
Combining entertainment and education, the Film Interpretation Quiz sparked friendly competition among the delegates.
In a press conference, SERVEI, the Spanish society for interventional radiology, joined oncological societies to underscore interventional oncology‘s contributions to effective multidisciplinary collaboration.

The wave of innovation

A platform for medical industry

Leaders in endovascular

Stroke management

2014 Glasgow | UK

Glasgow provided a unique backdrop for this memorable congress.

Local Hosts Jonathan Moss and Raman Uberoi warmly welcomed all delegates to CIRSE 2014.
SPC Chairperson Patrick Haage outlined the multi-faceted scientific programme on offer.
In his Roesch Lecture, prominent Brazilian IR Francisco Carnevale explored the topic of prostate arterty embolisation.
Philippe Pereira discussed the current status of standard clinical guidelines for interventional oncology in his Gruentzig Lecture.
In the CIRSE meets Israel session, distinguished Israeli IRs presented the latest research and innovations from their country.
The Radiation Protection Pavilion made its debut, urging IRs to confront the risk of radiation-related cataract formation.
The Award of Excellence and Innovation recognised Dutch researchers for developing Holmium-166 microspheres.
In collaboration with the British Society of Interventional Radiology, CIRSE organised a major PR campaign highlighting treatment options for diabetic foot. The campaign featured patient testimony and attracted support from celebrity comedian Fred MacAulay.
From then to now – David Allison, one of CIRSE‘s first presidents, shares a laugh with current president Anna-Maria Belli.

Showcasing the best of IR

Radiation protection

Spotlight on aortic

2015 Lisbon | PT

CIRSE celebrated its 30^th Anniversary, welcoming more than 6,000 delegates to Lisbon!

First IDEAS – successful debut

This two-and-a-half-day stand-alone programme, chaired by Fabrizio Fanelli, offered 14 hours of targeted education, with its faculty of renowned interventional radiologists, vascular surgeons, cardiologists and anaesthesiologists.
The ever-popular Hands-on Workshops covered numerous aspects of a wide array of interventions, providing tips and tricks on tool selection, patient management, possible techniques and much more.
Josef Rösch was awarded the CIRSE Gold Medal for his distinguished contributions to the field of IR, including being one of the first doctors to embolise gastrointestinal bleedings, development of the TIPS procedure as well as fallopian tube recanalisation, and co-developing clinically used self-expanding metal stents, among many others. Fred Keller accepted the award of his behalf.
The second Radiation Protection Pavilion featured exciting elements such as live talks, eye-checks and a prize drawing!
The student programme provided an excellent opportunity for students to try out the latest technology.
Entertainment at the CIRSE 2015 Openning Ceremony
At the 28 Satellite Symposia the companies offered an outstanding programme as well, introducing or further familiarising delegates with cutting-edge information on equipment and new techniques.
The CIRSE 2015 Charity Evening raised over €6,500 for the Portuguese association Acreditar!

Disclaimer: In line with ethical standards, social events always take place outside of Congress hours, and participation is not covered by Congress registration fees.

30 Years of CIRSE

Introducing IDEAS

Focus on venous

EVAR for ruptured AAA?

2016 Barcelona | ES

Barcelona provided the perfect place for participants to enjoy the vast world of interventional radiology.

After ETF debuted with its first meeting at ECIO 2016, for the first time, the CIRSE annual congress featured a dedicated session for IR trainees, Building an IR career, which was very well received.
Francisco Carnevale received the Award of Excellence and Innovation in IR for his innovative work and technique development in prostate artery embolisation (PAE).
In just its second year running, the IDEAS programme featured a Hot Topic Symposium on treating aortic emergencies, which was the most well attended session at CIRSE 2016!
The CIRSE meets EAU session was held to stress the importance of teamwork between urologists and IRs.
Liz Kenny was one of the three IRs made a Distinguished Fellow in 2016.
Thierry de Baère and Afshin Gangi enjoying a laugh at the Executive Committee Dinner.
As part of the CIRSE 2016 Student Programme, students had the opportunity to test their IR knowledge with the Students‘ Quiz.
Thomas Helmberger and Felix Gundling led one of the CIRSE 2016‘s Expert Case Discussions.
A 2016 highlight was the Super Tuesday Free Papers session which featured abstracts important to the daily work of IRs.

Expanding evidence, enhancing engagement

IDEAS 2016

IR in practice

Collaboration in PAE

2017 Copenhagen | DK

CIRSE 2017 called IRs to Copenhagen, once again capturing the attention of medical professionals from around the globe.

CIRSE 2017 hosted the first Women in IR sessions, in which a panel of speakers shared insights into the challenges and barriers women working in IR face in their work.
The Gold Medal was given to Dierk Vorwerk, who was selected due to his dedication to education and his 14 years of work as the Editor-in-Chief of CVIR.
Sadek Beloucif, President of the Ethics Subcommittee for the European Society of Anaesthesiology, at the CIRSE 2017 Opening and Awards Ceremony.
CVIR Endovascular is officially commenced with an inaugural event at the congress!
The Film Interpretation Quiz was a light-hearted session at the congress that presented delegates with three different possible answers to case questions posed by the moderators.
News on Stage occurred each afternoon and was split into four sections: endovascular interventions, embolisation, nonvascular and interventional oncology.
Nearly 200 students attended CIRSE 2017 and were happy to have a full programme on offer to fit their needs.
CIRSE 2017 welcomed the Danish dance group, Pivot, who performed three emotive dances on the themes of cure, care and coordination to go along with Sadek Beloucif’s insightful keynote speech.

Impact the future

IDEAS 2017

Radiation protection

Drug-eluting devices

2018 Lisbon | PT

Lisbon again provided an excellent opportunity to bring IRs from around the world together to meet, share and connect.

CIRSE 2018 featured the first FIRST@CIRSE session which showcased new data from PAD trials and studies.
CVIR celebrated its 40^th Anniversary, making it the longest-running journal in the field of IR.
Former CIRSE president Anna-Maria Belli was awarded the CIRSE Gold Medal for her outstanding achievements in IR!
CIRSE 2018 introduced both video learning and clinical evaluation sessions.
The Radiation Protection Pavilion provided an ever-important session “EU Basic Safety Standards Directive” in order to better prepare IRs for meeting the requirements of the new EU DRL standards implemented earlier that year.
Alban Denys led one of the Video Learning Sessions, which were newly released at CIRSE 2018.
The IR Trainee Session provided key advice on clinical practice and valuable insights into new technologies.
Stefan Müller-Hülsbeck, Chairperson of the Online Education Committee, presents on the new e-learning developments.
Students had the opportunity to connect with not only their peers, but also some of IRs leading experts, such as Christoph Binkert.

MEET SHARE CONNECT

Embolisation for abdominopelvic trauma

First data releases of PAD trials

Super Tuesday

2019 Barcelona | ES

CIRSE 2019 was the largest congress to date, welcoming more than 7,000 delegates from 96 countries to Barcelona.

The first-ever PAD Day featured a full-day programme dedicated to the technical and safety issues in PAD, including the hot topic symposium “Debates on drug-eluting technologies” and several focus sessions.
Boris Guiu and Mathieu Boulin were awarded the Award of Excellence and Innovation in Interventional Radiology.
State-of-the-art stimulation provided an excellent opportunity for participants to get hands on experience with the field’s newest technology.
CIRSE 2019 also featured the first “Students on Stage” session which allowed students to present their abstracts in front of an international group of their peers.
IDEAS 2019 yet again provided an excellent platform for leading specialists to present their aortic research.
In addition to the educational sessions, young IRs were also invited to enjoy a bit of informal networking with their peers at the ETF quiz, a fun event allowing them to prove their knowledge of IR.
Christoph Binkert, Robert A. Morgan and Werner Jaschke enjoying some friendly competition at the 2019 Radiation Protection Pavilion.
Lizbeth Kenny discussed the current status of IAOSIS which was launched in 2018 and is nearing the end of its pilot phase at the end of this year.
Plinio Rossi celebrated his 90^th birthday at the CIRSE 2019 President’s Dinner!

CIRSE 2019 broke all records

CIRSE Student Programme