March 27, 2026
From March 19-20, interventionalists from around the world gathered for the inaugural ECIP Summit in Vienna, Austria. Across two days, attendees exchanged knowledge and ideas on advancing the field of image-guided pain therapy.
ECIP Summit 2026 in review
The ECIP Summit 2026, led by Chairpersons Prof. Afshin Gangi and Prof. Dimitrios Filippiadis, laid a strong foundation for what is to become the most dedicated, high-quality conference on image-guided pain management.
Throughout the two days of lectures and discussion, there was a clear and unanimous message: minimally invasive, image-guided interventions have a vital role to play in improving patients’ lives.
Programme highlights
CIRSE President Philippe L. Pereira opened the Summit by underscoring the importance of minimally invasive, image-guided techniques in addressing one of medicine’s most pressing challenges: effective and sustainable pain therapy. He emphasized the need for greater visibility, longitudinal patient care, and the clinical integration of interventional radiology in this field.
The scientific programme offered a comprehensive overview of the expanding role of interventional radiology in pain management, combining foundational knowledge with case-based insights and clinical data. The faculty reflected the global reach of the field, with speakers travelling from the United States, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Japan, and many more countries to share their expertise.
On day one of the Summit, speakers reviewed foundational pillars of interventional pain management and highlighted how image-guided therapies can enhance treatment pathways for conditions ranging from headaches and endometriosis to musculoskeletal tumours. The sessions exemplified how IR is transforming the pain treatment landscape, offering patients relief from chronic and cancer-related pain, supporting palliative care, and reducing reliance on habit-forming medications.
Day two’s programme took a closer look at multidisciplinary collaboration and the practical aspects of offering IR pain procedures. The summit concluded with dedicated discussion fora, which provided valuable opportunities for further exchange in small groups — much needed following the lively Q&A sessions throughout the meeting.
Looking ahead to ECIP 2027
The ECIP conference will become a staple of the CIRSE congress calendar, with the 2027 edition taking place in Estoril, Portugal, from March 13-15.
ECIP 2027 will offer a more in-depth exploration of image-guided pain therapy, cover a wider range of topics, and further spotlight interventional radiology’s clinical role across all aspects of chronic pain. A strong emphasis will be placed on multidisciplinary integration and patient-tailored treatment strategies, two areas that reflect the direction of the field.
CIRSE extends its warmest thanks to every speaker, moderator, delegate, and corporate partner who helped make the ECIP Summit 2026 such a success, and we look forward to seeing you again at ECIP 2027.
