Message from the President of the Congress

Dear Colleagues,

After the pleasure and honour of organizing with Nicola Scopinaro the 1st International Symposium on Obesity Surgery (ISLOS) in March 1999, in my home town, Naples, it is now a great privilege for me to host the 3rd Congress of the European Chapter of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity in the lovely island of Capri.

The focus at ISLOS was innovation versus tradition, the bomb of laparoscopy versus traditional laparotomy. In these days obesity is an increasingly devastating disease that surgery is desperately trying to fight “mini-invasively”.

Europe is the place were new ideas and innovative concepts are born in this very young discipline. Innovation was a fact in Capri already 2000 years ago: during the reign of the emperor Tiberius, Rome “caput mundi” was ruled from the island of Capri. Each day he sent orders to the mainland from his wonderful villa by a type of “heliograph” which transmitted the sun’s rays by means of a mirror of polished metal.

For 2 and half days in Capri the world top experts in obesity surgery will meet.
The congress will focus on state of the art in Europe. For those of us who work on this side of the planet, it is high time to reflect on how different is our way of thinking. During “versus” Sessions, Symposia, Keynote Lectures, Round Tables, oral presentations and concurrent video-sessions, different technical attitudes and treatment strategies implemented in Europe and rest of the world will be debated. 

Our aim is to increase knowledge to improve the management of this human suffering. Hoping that science and life pleasures will nicely combine during your stay in Capri,  
 

I look forward to seeing you in this heavenly place!

Luigi Angrisani

President of the Congress

Message from the Honorary President

Dear friends,

Happily and proudly we have come to the third edition of the IFSO European Chapter Congress.

As Honorary President of the IFSO European Chapter I am the strongest supporter of Europe as center of gravity of the world obesity surgery, and as Honorary President of this Congress I am the most enthusiastic supporter of Italy as landmark of European obesity surgery. It is then with double joy and double pride that I welcome you to one of the most enchanting Italian paradises.

The old Europe has derived great benefit from the constitution of the Chapter. Old rivalries are subsiding, and new bonds of friendship are being created or reinforced. Both clinical and scientific cooperations are increasing among European countries, and unity targets which maybe still appear difficult to reach on the political and economical plans do not seem any far from being achieved not only within the bariatric surgery field, but also between medical and surgical communities. Bariatric Europe is then getting ready to breath the same atmosphere, and this will very much beneficially affect the development of the newly born metabolic surgery.

However, let us not forget that Italy was the site where the First International Symposium on Obesity Surgery and the First International Symposium on Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery were held, where the first European national Society of Obesity Surgery was founded, and where the first European national Obesity Surgery Registry was instituted.

Last, but certainly not least, while everybody agrees that Europe is the most beautiful among the world continents, I have little if any doubts stating that Italy is the most beautiful among the European countries, and Capri is certainly second to none of the numberless charming places our beloved peninsula is spangled with.

As President of the IFSO European Chapter I welcome all European and non European people who will honor us with their very much appreciated presence. However, I do hope I will be forgiven if a special welcome from myself is reserved for the Italian friends who will not miss an engaging appointment that both the old Europe and the even older Italy will be hopefully up to. 

It will be a special pleasure to embrace all of you in Capri

Nicola Scopinaro
Honorary President