Looking forward to CIRSE 2026 with Dr. Radu Vijdea, Local Host Committee Chairperson

July 14, 2026

CIRSE 2026 will take place from September 5-9 in Copenhagen, Denmark. To learn more about his involvement in the congress and the host city, CIRSE Insider spoke with Dr. Radu Vijdea, the Local Host Committee Chairperson (LHC).

CIRSE Insider: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your hospital? What area of IR do you focus on? What kinds of cases do you see the most?

Vijdea: I am a consultant in interventional radiology at Kolding Hospital in Denmark. It’s a mid-sized hospital with a focus on emergency medicine, but it has quite a big vascular department. That’s why our IR unit does a lot of vascular interventions, especially peripheral interventions, endovascular aneurysm repair, and venous interventions.

Apart from that, we are doing percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, gastric bleeding embolization, and CT- or UL-guided abscess drainages and biopsies. Our expertise definitely lies in peripheral percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), though.

Most of our cases are severe critical limb ischaemia (CLI) patients who require extensive revascularization procedures including below-the-knee and below-the-ankle angioplasty.

CIRSE Insider: You are the president of the Danish Society of Interventional Radiology (DFIR). How would you describe the status of IR in Denmark? Are there any aspects of Danish healthcare or IR practice that you think may be especially interesting for colleagues from abroad?

Vijdea: Denmark is a small country, so the IR community is, of course, not that big. The public healthcare sector is very strong and well developed in Denmark; that’s why, more or less, all my IR peers work in different public hospitals across the country. We know each other through DFIR, and we share knowledge and experience throughout the year. University hospitals are doing a broader range of interventions, including vascular, non-vascular, or oncology interventions, whereas other centres have specialized in smaller but more specialized areas such as venous or peripheral arterial interventions.

Dr. Vijdea speaks at CIRSE 2023

Bella Center, the congress venue. Image courtesy of Bella Center Copenhagen

CIRSE Insider: Why did you volunteer to be the CIRSE 2026 LHC Chairperson?

Vijdea: As president of DFIR, my purpose is to develop the Danish IR environment through knowledge sharing and networking. I found this opportunity to be LHC Chairperson as a great chance to connect with other IRs from CIRSE’s Executive Committee as well as to promote CIRSE activities and goals to Scandinavian IRs.

CIRSE Insider: You will be speaking on “What is vessel preparation and why should it be used?” during the session Vessel preparation for above and below knee arterial disease. Why is this topic important for IRs? Why should people attend this lecture?

Vijdea: Vessel preparation is a key feature in a successful PTA on peripheral arteries. The calcium burden is the major limitation to reach good patency after PTA, no matter if you’re using stents or drug-coated balloons. So, proper vessel preparation is mandatory in modern CLI treatment, in my opinion. That said, there are so many companies offering a wide range of equipment. The challenge for us IRs is to find the right product for the right patient and for the right lesion.

CIRSE Insider: What are you personally most looking forward to at CIRSE 2026?

Vijdea: I’m personally looking forward to connecting with as many IRs as possible with similar expertise as myself to share ideas and experiences. Furthermore, I’m always looking forward to the new studies presented at CIRSE each year, as new evidence is very important in our day-to-day .

A Copenhagen boat tour. Image courtesy of Kristijan Arsov

Rosenborg Castle. Image courtesy of Javier Rincón 

CIRSE Insider: What are your top picks for activities that CIRSE delegates should do while in Copenhagen?

Vijdea: My top picks would be to try a bit of the modern Nordic cuisine in one of Copenhagen’s restaurants. Then just explore Copenhagen—best by bike! Tivoli Gardens, the Rosenborg Castle, or boat trips around the harbour or canals are definitely must-dos in Copenhagen.

CIRSE Insider: Is there anything else you wish to add?

Vijdea: Thank you! Or, in Danish, this expression is very simple: tak!