Dear SAGIM members,

SAGIM has now made an important step forward by arranging the first Scandinavian Postgraduate Course on Gastrointestinal Motility. From 15^th to 17^th of October forty participants and the Scandinavian Faculty focused the core issues of GI Motility at Sahlgränska Hospital with engagement, under excellent local leadership by Henrik Sjövall. The need for a Scandinavian alternative with both theory and practical training was further evidenced by the fact that registration exceeded available seats.

The Postgraduate Course will ambulate between Scandinavian motility centers on a 1-2 year’s basis, and although the contents will change from course to course, the main topics will be addressed each time. The next Postgraduate Course will be announced through SAGIM Newsletter and Scandinavian Medical Journals in 1999.

Find enclosed the report from the General Assembly of SAGIM arranged during the XXX Nordic Meeting in Oulo in June 1998. The IXth Scientific SAGIM Session arranged during this meeting included free paper presentations and the two guest lectures:

Pankaj Pasricha, Galveston, USA: Recent advances in achalasia.

Jarmo Salo, Helsinki, Finland: Modern operative treatment of achalasia.

Excellent reviews were presented, and the free paper session, although confined to a few centers, presented motility research of high standards.

The 10th Scientific SAGIM Session will be held during Gastronor in Tromsø 2^th-5^th of June 1999, during which the next General Assembly will take place. Time and place will be announced within the program. SAGIM encourages you to submit abstracts to this meeting, and those who present an abstract on GI motility will receive a travel grant from SAGIM amounting to 3000 SEK. The motility session during this meeting will include invited speakers and free papers.

The 16th International Symposium on Gastrointestinal Motility was held in Lorne, Australia on 15^th-20^th of February 1998. Find enclosed reports from this meeting written by representatives of the SAGIM steering committee attending the meeting.

The 9th European Symposium on Gastrointestinal Motility is arranged in Maastricht from 29^th-31^th of October 1998.

Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility. At a reduced rate of 65£ personal subscription is obtained, which includes membership fee to European Motility Society and reduced congress fee with about 100US$, when attending the European Motility Symposium. If you consider to register, contact the President Louis Akkermans, University Hospital of Utrecht, fax: 31 30 2541944.

SAGIM web page

The web page is now under preparation, and will be launched within a few months. It will provide information about the organization, earlier and current activities, options to register as member, and references to SAGIM publications.