SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim-A Fortis Associate and Institute of Digestive & Liver Care organise SYNERGY 2020

The three-day ‘SYNERGY 2020’ convergence hosted by SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim and Institute of Digestive & Liver Care concluded recently. It was aimed at engaging young doctors from across the globe about the relevance of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-Pancreatography techniques (ERCP), Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), Percutaneous Trans-Hepatic Biliary Drainage (PTBD) in the management of biliary and pancreatic diseases. The convergence was spearheaded by Dr Vinay Dhir, Executive Director, Institute of Digestive & Liver Care and supported by Thailand’s Prof Rungsun Reknimitr, Australia’s Prof Arthur Kaffes & Spain’s Prof Manuel Perez Miranda.

The journey of endoscopy from a simple diagnostic tool to an advanced therapeutic tool has evolved over the last few decades. The convergence drew focus to this evolution; it witnessed participation from 24 experts across nine countries, who shared insights, discussed and debated about newer techniques, medical advancements and management of disorders like gall stones, bile duct stone, biliary tumors, pancreatic tumours, treatment of jaundice, etc.

Over 400 freshly graduated doctors from across 11 countries attended the session. Experts hosted hands-on training sessions for doctors as a part of the conference in three important areas of advanced endoscopy i.e. ERCP, EUS module and third space. Live demonstration helped explain the following:

• The ERCP module which is a procedure that involves the entry of the pile and pancreatic duct using accessories to treat stones, tumours and the pancreatic system
• The EUS module, which is a combination of endoscopy and ultrasound, is used to detect abnormalities including lumps or lesions
• Third space which is a relatively new technique where endoscopic work is performed between the layers of the intestinal wall, also useful for non-surgical removal of tumours in the intestine

Speaking at SYNERGY 2020, Dr Vinay Dhir, Executive Director, Institute of Digestive & Liver Care, SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim-A Fortis Associate, said, “This year, we celebrate five decades of ERCP, a procedure which transformed the management of biliary and pancreatic disease. Like ERCP, EUS also remained a pure diagnostic procedure for a long time. PTBD, the first non-surgical technique for biliary drainage, is now seven decades old, and has given excellent results in patients with failed ERCP and complex hilar structure. Our aim at the IDL Care is to bring experts from across the globe on a single platform to share their knowledge and expertise, helping provide a bountiful learning experience for young doctors.”

Speaking about SYNERGY 2020, Dr Hiren Ambegaokar, CEO, SL Raheja Hospital, Mahim-A Fortis Associate, said, “I thank all the experts who have shared their experience-based learnings at this conference, and encourage young doctors to come forth and learn from these stalwarts.”