Summary of the IPPS Hartford Symposium

Once again the International Pelvic Pain Society realized a very successful meeting in Hartford this spring. We were able to pull together interesting and dynamic speakers from many different disciplines with refreshingly new perspectives on the diagnosis, treatment, management and understanding of this complex disease. This is in keeping with our twofold purpose of professional and patient education.

Some particular highlights include:

· Dr. Jill Peters-Gee with a "state of our science" on interstitial cystitis.
· Dr. Patricia Mulready's theories on diet and disease. A new view of what she termed "syndrome X" that may explain the many systemic symptoms of patients with chronic pain and fatigue.
· Dr. R. William Stones brought everyone up to date on the science of pelvic congestion. His basic research efforts are yielding greater understanding of the pain mechanisms from a neuro-chemical and anatomical point of view.
· Dr. Ibrahim Daoud shared his general surgical experience in women with chronic pelvic pain from occult inguinal hernias.
· Dr. Mike Brennan gave his perspective on the use of narcotic analgesics for women with non-cancer, chronic pelvic pain.
· Dr. David Olive brought us the latest information on using pelvic pain mapping under conscious sedation for the diagnosis of chronic pelvic pain.
· Dr. Mary Casey Jacob gave one of the most popular lectures at this meeting. As a pain psychologist, she reviewed the stresses that health-care professionals experience while treating chronic pain patients and how to maintain our mental health in "Survival Techniques for the Physician"

References:

If you were unable to attend the symposium, but would like to receive a videotape of these or any other lectures, contact our chief of operations, Mr. Terry Dillard, at 1 (800) 624-9676, email him at pelvicpain@aol.com, or visit our web site at pelvicpain.org for titles and charges.