European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE)
The AAGL and the European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (ESGE) share a common vision of improving the healthcare of women by promoting education, science and exchange of information. As a member of both societies, and as the current President of the ESGE, I have personally witnessed the impact these two societies have had on the way healthcare for women has been delivered.
The ESGE was founded in 1994 and has its Central Office in Leuven, Belgium. It incorporates the four major European national endoscopic societies as well as individual members from all continents. Members of the British, German, French and Italian Gynaecological Endoscopy Societies are natural members of the ESGE. The Annual Congress takes place in the autumn in September or October in a European city, taking place in a different country every year. It is attended by delegates from more than 80 countries from around the world.
The official journal of the ESGE is Facts, Views and Vision, which is an open-access journal publishing original and review articles, as well as case reports and video articles.
ESGE has set up and developed its popular Gynaecological Endoscopic Surgery Education and Assessment (GESEA) programme over the years, enabling thousands of trainees and specialists to complete a structured programme which leads to certification and diploma. The GESEA programme now includes basic, intermediate and advanced level certification (Level 1-3) in laparoscopic, robotic and hysteroscopic surgery. The advanced level includes further training in gynaecological oncology, urogynaecology, endometriosis, reproductive surgery and neuropelveology.
In recent years, we have seen a fruitful collaboration between the AAGL and ESGE. The joint publications on international terminology and classification systems for endometriosis, international terminology for describing hysteroscopic procedures and non-invasive diagnosis of deep endometriosis and endometriosis classification systems, are just a few examples and there are still more ongoing projects which are due to report. The last two years have also seen joint webinars organised by the AAGL and ESGE. Two joint webinars on the role of hysteroscopy for the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding took place in April 2024 and were attended by a very large number of delegates, demonstrating the cumulative power of the two global societies coming together. To repeat the same success, two more webinars have been planned on the subject of anatomy, and I have no doubt that these will also be highly successful. We hope to continue these collaborations in the future and potentially expand the areas of partnership.
With my best wishes,
Ertan Saridogan MD, PhD, FRCOG
President, European Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy
