Chapter Name: The Finnish Epilepsy Society
Report By: Terhi Pirttilä, the secretary of Finnish Epilepsy Society

Publications:

None.

Summary of Activities:

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

National teaching courses:

In 2017 Finnish Epilepsy Society was one of the organizers in Nordic Congress of Clinical Neurophysiology & Kuopio Epilepsy Symposium 2017 that was held in 15.-17.3.2017 in Kuopio, Finland. The congress was organized in collaboration with Kuopio University Hospital, Finnish Association of Pediatric Neurology, the Finnish Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Eastern Finland and Finnish Epilepsy Association. The themes in the congress were Evidence-based Clinical Use of TMS, Sleep as Individual and Global Concern, Long-term EEG-monitoring Services, Status Epilepticus Update, Predicting Seizures and Risk of SUDEP, Myoclonus, Genetics and Biomarkers for Epilepsy, Advances in Treatment I & II ja Clinical Neurophysiology in Critical Care Patients/Neurointensive Care. Lecturers were international and domestic experts in the field of epilepsy. The congress had 385 participants including lecturers.

In 2017 Finnish Epilepsy Society did not organize its own annual teaching course since its major contribution to the Nordic Congress of Clinical Neurophysiology & Kuopio Epilepsy Symposium.

17.-18.5.2018 ”Refractory epilepsy - New insights to diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy – Vaikea epilepsia - uusia näkökulmia epilepsian diagnostiikkaan ja hoitoon”. Visiting lecturer Dr Nicola Specchio from Italy gave a lecture entitled ”Management of epileptic syndromes through stages of life” and Dr Rajiv Mohanraj’s lecture was entitled ”Outcome of new AEDs in refractory epilepsy”. Professor Reetta Kälviäinen talked about the national guidelines for epilepsy diagnosis and treatment. The second day consisted of workshops dealing with topics such as SUDEP, co-morbidities of refractory epilepsy and indications of video-EEG monitoring. Eija Gaily and Reetta Kälviäinen talked about valproate medication as treatment of epilepsy in girls and women. A mini-symposium of super-refractory status epilepticus closed the course. Lecturers were domestic experts in the field. The course had 88 participants including lecturers. Feedback obtained from the course was good/excellent.

Local education courses

Finnish Epilepsy Society has organized since 2006 local courses around Finland in collaboration with Eisai AB, Fenno-Medical Oy, Orion Pharma, Sandoz and UCB Pharma Oy Finland. The topics of the courses in 2017 were the new ILAE classification of seizures, challenges in epilepsy diagnostics, and rare epilepsies. In 2018 topic were epileptic syndromes through stages of life, and good management of epilepsy.

In 2017-2018 courses were organized in Helsinki (26.4.2017, participants 45), Turku (21.9.2017,48), Pori (5.2.2018,18), Kotka-Lappeenranta (7.3.2018, 21), Oulu-Rovaniemi (video) -Kemi-Kokkola-Kajaani (webinar) (16.10.2018, 27-12-12), Helsinki (14.11.2018, 27).

MEETINGS:

Society organizes every spring annual meeting that is open for all members of the society. Annual report, financial statement of the previous year and action plan for the next year are presented and approved in the meeting. New board members are also selected annually for one year period. The annual meeting in 2017 was held on 17th March 2017. Members of the board were selected and they were (supplementary member in brackets) Reetta Kälviäinen (Jukka Peltola), Henna Jonsson (Sirpa Rainesalo), Salla Lamusuo (Markus Müller), Terhi Pirttilä (Tarja Puumala), Riikka Mäkinen (Johanna Uusimaa) ja Päivi Olsén (Kirsi Mikkonen). The same members were selected to continue in annual meeting 2018 that was held 18th May 2018.

Board meetings:

The board members of the society in 2017-2018 were Reetta Kälviäinen (president), Terhi Pirttilä (secretary), Henna Jonsson (treasurer), Salla Lamusuo, Riikka Mäkinen and Päivi Olsén. The board organized meetings 4 to 5 times annually.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION:

Finnish Epilepsy Society is the Chapter of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). Members of the society have several international positions: professor Jukka Peltola is a member of ILAE Classification and Terminology Commission and professor Reetta Kälviäinen is a chairwoman of Epilepsy Scientific Panel of European Academy of Neurology (EAN).

DOMESTIC COLLABORATION:

Members of Finnish Epilepsy Society participate in the national committee to create guidelines for the treatment of epilepsy in Finland (Käypä Hoito- committee). In 2016 Käypä Hoito- committee published guidelines for treatment of Status Epilepticus. Similar guidelines have previously been published for Treatment of epilepsy in children and febrile seizures (in 2013) and Treatment of epilepsy in adults (in 2014).
Finnish Epilepsy Society works in close collaboration with the Finnish Epilepsy Association, a Chapter of IBE. Professor Reetta Kälviäinen, docent Liisa Metsähonkala and MD, PhD Hanna Ansakorpi are members of a specialist committee of the Finnish Epilepsy Association.

Finnish Epilepsy Society has participated in actions of ”Suomen Aivot ry”, which is a member of European Brain Council.

MEMBERS:

Finnish Epilepsy Society has 240 members (in 31.12.2018). In 2017-2018 the society did not collect membership fee.

Challenges:

To recruit new members to the board activities.

Future Plans:

In 2019 Finnish Epilepsy Society will organize a national educational course in March in collaboration with Finnish Association of Pediatric Neurology. The course is held at Tahko Ski Resort in Kuopio. The annual meeting of the society is organized in March 2019 at Tahko, Kuopio. Local educational courses will also be continued in the coming year. Society continues to collaborate with Finnish Epilepsy Association to promote the knowledge of epilepsy and equal access to high-quality care in Finland.

Officer Election Date: 22.3.2019