June 1999 Volume 5, Issue 1 Editor: James E. Carter, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.O.G Inside this Issue Letter from the President The Editor's Corner ISGE 8th Annual Congress Chair Report ISGE 8th Annual Congress Coordinator's Report ISGE 8th Annual Congress Highlights and Summary Report Laparoscopic Management of Genital Prolapse Evolution in Laparoscopy Letters to the Editor Preliminary Announcement: ISGE 10th Annual Congress 2001 Report from Thai Society for (TSGE) to the ISGE ISGE Secretariat Spaarne Hospital P.O. Box 1644 2003 BR Haarlem The Netherlands

THE ISGE NEWS Letter from the President By J.J. Sciarra, M.D. As I enter upon my two-year term as President of the ISGE, I would like to begin by publicly thanking Carl Wood from Melbourne, Australia for his leadership and tireless dedication to the ISGE, a society, which has clearly benefited under his guidance and tutelage. I am also pleased to announce Yap Lip Kee as the new Vice President of the Executive Board for 1999-2001. Lip Kee is deeply committed to our Society, to training, and to education. He will be a great ambassador in Asia for our group. Jim Daniell handed over his baton as editor in chief to James Carter, who will assume this three-year position. Please be reminded that each board member has the responsibility of submitting one article during their term. We are encouraged by the increasing number of voting members and the broad geographical distribution of membership. The ISGE was originally founded by a dedicated group of endoscopists from Europe and North America, but were soon joined by others from all over the world. Our membership now includes participation from Europe, North America, Central/South America, Central Asia, Africa and Asia/Oceania. We are fortunate to have such a diverse representation of endoscopists from all nations. I am proud to announce that as of March 1999, the Society has 795 active members, an approximate 27% increase from the previous year. This year celebrates the 10th Anniversary of ISGE and our 8th Annual Congress. I am pleased to report that Togis Tolandi hosted a very successful and informative Annual Congress in Montreal, Canada at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Over four hundred delegates from more than 40 countries worldwide were in attendance. The event opened with performances by the Thunder Hawk Dancers and a unique musical duo comprising of a world-renowned whistler, Dr. Jack Cohen and a famous Canadian contemporary guitarist. We had the pleasure to introduce the 1999 ISGE Honorary member and present the award to Dr. Jacques Rioux for his contributions to our field, playing a pivotal role in the development and introduction of bipolar technology. Since Bob Neuwirth was unable to accept his 1998 Honorary award at the Sun City Congress last year, we were pleased to extend the award to him this year in Montreal. Bob has been a pioneer with his work in hysteroscopy and transcervical endosurgery. Afterwards, Jacques and Bob were joined by two other honorary members, Kurt Semm, and Alan Gordon for a memorable photo. I would like to thank Simone Wamsteker, the office secretary, for her assistance in designing and creating this very impressive award. The keynote lectures, plenary sessions and symposia were quite informative and offered new insight into Gynecologic Endoscopy. We were honored to have three fantastic keynote speakers: Drs. Victor Gomel, Harry Reich, and Alan DeCherney. This year brought more exhibitors than ever before, with extensive delegate participation. Our ambitious goal for the near future is to bring membership up to 1000. This can be achieved through your continued support and increased attendance at the regional meetings and annual congresses. We also hope the involvement of a Professional Conference Organizer (PCO) will allow us to attract industry support on an international level and develop consistency and standards at each annual congress and meeting, whereby increasing the general awareness for our society. ISGE is soon to embark on developing a partnership with Events International Meeting Planners (EIMP), an international PCO based in Montreal, Canada. EIMP was chosen because of their commitment to Medical Conferences and their ability to offer a cost effective comprehensive service. We are very encouraged with their work and hope to build a long-term relationship with EIMP. There is no doubt that our society is doing great. Our organization is healthy and we have an active program already planned for the next few years. We hope you enjoyed Montreal and look forward to seeing you at the 1999 regional meeting in Cairo, Egypt on September 9-10, 1999. Be sure to mark your calendars for the 9th Annual Congress in Australia, April 16-20, 2000.