On occasion of the “ESPRAS – A day in Sarajevo” meeting at the 13^th BAFPRAS Congress

Reuf Karabeg, president of the Balkan Federation of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Societies (BAFPRAS), has organized an international Plastic Surgery Congress (https://sarajevo2024.com/) from September 19^th to 22^nd, 2024 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. BAFPRAS unites 12 national societies in eastern Europe ([Fig. 1]). The author of this report was asked in his role as president to the European Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Societies (ESPRAS) to be the program chair for the full day scientific meeting ([Fig. 2]).

Fig. 1 12 National Societies for Plastic Surgery in Eastern Europe are united in the Balkan Federation of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Societies (BAFPRAS).

Fig. 2 Congress Chair Reuf Karabeg (right) and Riccardo Giunta, President of the European Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Societies (ESPRAS).

ESPRAS day on Friday September 20^th included four sessions on the hot topics: “Advances in Microsurgery”, “Breast Reconstruction”, “Solutions in Secondary Problems with Breast Implants” and “Facial Rejuvenation”. We have to thank 16 Keynote speakers from 8 different European countries for their excellent contributions!

• Franco Bassetto, Italy

• Giovanni Botti, Italy

• Horacio Costa, Portugal

• Adrien Daigeler, Germany

• Cenk Demirdöver, Turkey

• Anna Elander, Sweden

• Riccardo Giunta, Germany

• Per Heden, Sweden

• Mark Henley, UK

• Uwe von Fritschen, Germany

• Jaume Masia, Spain

• Nicholas Möllhoff, Germany

• Radu Olariu, Switzerland

• Muhammad Riaz, UK

• Fabio Santanelli di Pompeo, Italy

• Felix Vollbach, Germany

The meeting was organized by the Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UPREKBiH) as their 7^th congress. ICOPLAST also included a symposium as well as the 5^th Fellows in Science Congress took place in the same event. This makes five national and international societies who contributed to this meeting. The meeting was opened in the Town Hall of Sarejevo, where also the minister of science was present ([Fig. 2]). More than 300 participants joined the meeting and exchanged knowledge in Plastic Surgery and contributed with questions and comments to the success of this event.

ESPRAS contributes regularly with sessions on specific topics or with full day events to national societies and also supports speakers, so to promote and foster academic exchange in Plastic Surgery throughout Europe. Next ESPRAS full day meeting (https://www.sofcpre-evenement.com) will be in Paris, November 22^nd 2024 at the national meeting of the French Société Française de Chirurgie Plastique, Reconstructrice & Esthétique (SOFCPRE). Jacques Saboye and the ESPRAS ExCo organized an excellent program. The ESPRAS council of delegates meeting with elections for the new term and the vote for changes of the ESPRAS bylaws will take place there on Saturday, Novermber 23^rd 2924. We hope to meet you all there and have alle ESPRAS delagates of national Eurpoean societies in the council session.

Riccardo Giunta,
October 2024
on behalf of the ESPRAS Executive Committee (ExCo)