8th Latin American Congress on Epilepsy

The 8th Latin-American Congress was held in Buenos Aires, September 17 - 20, 2014. The Congress was attended by 756 delegates from 40 countries. The program covered a broad range of topics selected from recommendations across the region and featured eminent speakers from the region and around the world. A total of 182 abstracts were submitted from centers across America. The subjects ranged from cutting-edge basic science to critical community and epidemiological work. These abstracts were published in English and Spanish in the supplement of Epileptic Disorders.

The opening ceremony was framed by talks of Buenos Aires culture and diversity. Welcome words were from Dr Roberto Caraballo, director of the Congress, and Dr Silvia Kochen, local president of IBE, followed by the chairman of the Latin-American chapter of the ILAE Dr Marco Tulio Medina, and the chairman of the Latin-American IBE, Dr Lilia Nuñez Orozco, and finally, the president of the ILAE, Emilio Perucca, and IBE president Athanasios Covanis. A children's symphonic orchestra played at the closing ceremony.

Didactic lectures were held each day, underlining the educational mission component, and three excellent symposia on vagus nerve stimulation, advances in the juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, and rational polytherapy took place.

A very interesting ALADE course on epilepsy pharmacotheraphy, epileptic syndromes, type of seizures, and electroencephalography was also organized with full attendance the day before starting the congress. Other topics, such as discrimination, disability and epilepsy as well as national and Latin-American employment perspectives were also included.

Main sessions ranged from epilepsy in children, epileptic encephalopathy, non-convulsive status epilepticus, and genetics to epidemiological, psychiatric, and neuropsychological aspects as well as epilepsy translational research. The parallel sessions covered anticonvulsant cost, side effects, and generics, epilepsy surgery in children and adults in America, the ketogenic diet, and epilepsy in the tropics, among others.

The Chapter Convention was well attended by member chapters as well as candidate chapters. Many business meetings were held, notably that of the Commission of Latin America Affairs.

Platform sessions were of good quality and many countries were represented. The posters filled the exhibition rooms to capacity and a wide range of topics were on display, showing quality research in each of the fields.

Topics ranged from anticonvulsants to stigma at work and school, and the epilepsy and daily activities as well as epilepsy and women were also considered. Fun was also to be had, with Tango dancing (See Taller de Tango - Epitango).

There were many opportunities for discussion and networking. Friendships renewed and new acquaintances made.

Submitted by Roberto Caraballo, chair