Welcome

We are pleased to announce the 7th Karolinska Stroke Update Meeting - scheduled to take place at The Clarion Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden, November 16-18, 2008.

Since 1996 the Karolinska Stroke meetings have been an important forum for timely update on the most important issues in stroke field. Leading experts present recent trial results and state-of-the art knowledge, followed by an open discussion with a focus on interpretations of study findings and implications for clinical practice. An integral part of the Karolinska Stroke meetings have been the issuing of consensus statements which have been prepared by chairpersons and speakers in the respective sessions and approved by the participants of the meeting.  To date, the Karolinska stroke meetings have approved about 40 consensus statements covering the fields of stroke prevention, acute stroke management, and stroke rehabilitation. There documents have had an influence on practical stroke management and international and national guidelines on stroke care. The thrombolysis statements in 1996, 1998 and 2000 were among the first professional consensus documents on this issue and obviously a contributing factor to the provisional approval of stroke thrombolysis in 2002.

The 7th Karolinska Stroke Update will feature discussion on the results of the ECASS III and SITS-ISTR studies on thrombolysis in the 3-4.5 hour window, as well as the large PRoFESS trial on secondary stroke prevention. The Karolinska Stroke Update meeting will be one of the first opportunities for an eminent stroke expert audience to discuss and consent on the interpretation of these results, as well as on other recent advances.

This year the Karolinska Stroke Update meeting also forms the platform for revision of the European Stroke Organisation (ESO) Guidelines. The statements of the participants will be advisory to the ESO Guidelines Committee. Through this, participation at the Update meeting becomes even more important.

Finally, we invite you to join us for the social events of the meeting: the Welcome Reception on Sunday November 16 th and for the Gala Dinner on Monday November 17 th – both included in the registration fee.2008.

Before the Gala Dinner on Monday, the Karolinska Stroke Award (100,000 SEK) will be announced for the third time.

Welcome to Stockholm 16-18 November 2008!

Yours sincerely,