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| Welcome President of the 5th IFSO-EC Congress |
 Dear Colleagues and friends,
It is a great honour and pleasure for the Spanish Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (SECO) to invite you all to the V Congress of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders, European Chapter (IFSO-EC) , which will be held in Barcelona.
The 2004 symposium in Prague was the first European Bariatric Surgery Meeting. Two years later, the Lyon meeting made the European chapter an official reality and it reached full maturity with the subsequent congresses in Capri and Lausanne.
It’s time for innovation and evolution. The world of Bariatric surgery is changing with amazing speed and those who are immersed in this exciting field will appreciate a quality, advanced update. New technologies, new approaches, robotic surgery, endoluminal techniques, metabolic surgery, latestresults and other main topics will be analyzed in detail and discussed with some of the world’s leading experts.
Researchers, academics and professional colleagues in the field of bariatric and metabolic surgery will find in this congress a contact forum to meet, exchange ideas and discuss their own experiences and achievements.
During the Barcelona congress you will be provided with round tables, lectures, live surgery and posters and video sessions, pros and cons debates, consensus panels and a highly professional exhibition of important companies which specialize in the field of bariatric surgery.
Barcelona is at the leading edge of fashion, architecture, cuisine and style. As well as providing the vibrant backdrop of a cosmopolitan city with historic buildings, the famous architecture of Gaudí, whose principal works are recognised UNESCO world heritage sites, museums and numerous restaurants, Barcelona enjoys glorious beaches and easy access to coastal villages. Its location on the shores of the Mediterranean means that it enjoys a warm, welcoming climate and pleasant temperatures all year round.
In addition, Barcelona has a long-standing tradition in the organization of events, ranking amongst the leading congress cities in Europe.
It will give us great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to all those attending this International Congress, who will be our guests in the city. I trust their stay will be both enjoyable and profitable for their work.
Juan Pujol Rafols
President of the 5th IFSO-EC Congress
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| Welcome President of IFSO-EC Executive Council of the European Chapter |
 Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It is a great honor and pleasure for me as the current president of the IFSO EU-Chapter to welcome you to the V. European Congress of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) in Barcelona.
Definitely, one of the main topics will be Metabolic Surgery and the fact that Bariatric Surgery is not only recommended for obese patients but for also other metabolic pathologies such as diabetes type 2. It has been clearly demonstrated that Metabolic Surgery is effective for the treatment of diabetes type 2 and that therefore the results being obtained makes us consider this option for treatment in patients who are not necessarily overweight but who are suffering metabolic pathologies or disorders such as diabetes, cholesterol, etc...
Obesity is one of today’s most blatantly visible – yet most neglected – public health problems. An escalating global epidemic of overweight and obesity – “globesity” – is affecting many parts of the world. If immediate action is not taken, millions will suffer from an array of serious health disorders. The drastic increase of diabetes mellitus worldwide is strong related to the globesity.
Obesity is a complex condition with serious social and psychological dimensions that affect virtually all age and socioeconomic groups and threaten to overwhelm both developed and developing countries.
In 1995, there were estimated 200 million obese adults worldwide and another 18 million children under the age of 5 who were classified as overweight. As of 2000, the number of obese adults has increased to over 300 million. Contrary to current opinion, the obesity epidemic is not restricted to industrialized societies; in developing countries, it is estimated that over 115 million people suffer from obesity-related problems.
The financial crisis in Europe influences the countries in different manner. Without respect to the finmacila situation of the health care systems the number of patients and procedures are still increasing. As an exception we have the case of Greece where in fact the current crisis has perhaps had an effect. As a result of the current situation in the country, quite a few surgeons have left the country in order to practice in other countries such as the United Kingdom or Germany, and this perhaps has had some effect on the number of operations being carried out.
Nevertheless in the rest of the countries the current economic crisis is having no effect whatsoever on the number of operations being carried out. Obesity surgery is the only effective strategy to treat severely obese patients. Obesity treatment should be individually tailored and all crucial factors should be taken into account: sex, the degree of obesity, individual health risks, behavioral and metabolic characteristics.
The new insights currently being gained by studying surgical interventions for diabetes are the most profound in the field of metabolic surgery. In the future, evaluation of hormonal and genetic determinants of weight loss may contribute to a better choice of individual therapy for each obese patient. Therefore, a multilevel obesity management network of collaborating facilities should be established to provide individually tailored treatment. Centers of Excellence (COE) in obesity management involving multidisciplinary teams should provide comprehensive programs for the treatment of obesity derived from evidence-based medicine.
After a great success of the XVI. IFSO World Congress in Hamburg 2011 we will the next successful meeting for Surgery in Obesity and Metabolic Disorders in Europe 2012.
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Weiner
President EU-Chapter IFSO
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| Welcome SECO President and IFSO President |
 Dear Colleagues and Friends,
It is a great pleasure for me, as President of the Spanish Society of Obesity and Metabolic Surgery (SECO) and president-elect of IFSO, to invite all of you to attend and participate in the Barcelona 2012 European congress. At a time when the ‘old continent’ is seen as a paradigm of unity and cooperation between countries, our work as Bariatric surgeons must be consistent with this philosophy and we should be aware that this cooperation will lead to a reinforced European Chapter within the international Bariatric society.
It will be a good opportunity for sharing experiences and to make some progress in the treatment of patients with Morbid Obesity and other metabolic disorders.
Make sure the dates are marked in your calendar and for those of you not familiar with Spain, note that it will be a splendid occasion for a family holiday before or after the congress in the beautiful city of Barcelona.
Above all, I invite you to experience Barcelona’s festive way of life. Discover the many facets of this multicultural city renowned for its prestige in the field of science, world-class universities, friendly atmosphere and gourmet restaurants. I am certain that you will take home many unforgettable memories of this special event.
Looking forward to meeting you in Barcelona,
Antonio J. Torres SECO President
IFSO President
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| Welcome Honorary President of the 5th IFSO-EC Congress |
 Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It is my pleasure and honour to support the Barcelona IFSO European chapter congress.
In Spain, bariatric surgery started officially in 1997 with the foundation of the Spanish Society for the Surgery of Obesity, SECO. Since then, its members have been at the forefront of all the latest scientific developments, making Spain one of the foremost countries in the list of published articles in the Obesity Surgery journal.
It has been 8 years since the last International congress in Spain (IFSO World Congress Salamanca 2003). It’s time now to take on the responsibility of organising our first European Congress.
Barcelona is one of the most progressive European cities. Open to all travellers, it offers traces of a varied European history. It is well-known for its Mediterranean atmosphere, Gaudí buildings and Picasso and Miró Museums…and even for the Barcelona football team!
All Spanish members of SECO will be very happy to share their knowledge and exchange experiences and ideas with visiting participants and attendees. We invite you all to this major event in an atmosphere of friendship and hospitality.
I am sure it will be a very successful and enlightening congress and I am really looking forward to seeing you all in Barcelona in 2012!
Yours faithfully,
Att. Aniceto Baltasar
Honorary President of the 5th IFSO-EC Congress. |
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