Author: Hrvoje Budinčević
The ESO EAST Steering Committee organised the 12th ESO EAST Workshop, with support from the ESO Head Office. The 12th ESO EAST Workshop was held on 5 May 2026 in Maastricht, the Netherlands, traditionally organised a day before the European Stroke Organisation Conference. It followed the Joint Stroke Action Plan for Europe National Coordinators (SAP-E NC) & ESO EAST Meeting and gathered ESO EAST Country Representatives, the ESO EAST Steering Committee, ANGELS Initiative representatives, the RES-Q team, ESO Head Office representatives, invited guests, and industry partners.
The programme focused on key developments in stroke care across the ESO EAST region, with mainly sessions structured around an introductory presentation followed by country experiences and discussion.
The first session, chaired by Dmytro Lebedynets and Alexandras Vilionskis, addressed mechanical thrombectomy issues in the region, focusing on training and implementation. An introductory presentation by Dmytro Lebedynets, based on the ESO EAST survey, provided an overview of current practices and challenges, followed by country presentations illustrating different stages of development and service organisation.
This was followed by the RES-Q registry session, chaired by Cristina Tiu and Robert Mikulik. Robert Mikulik opened the session with an overview of new developments in the RES-Q registry, with a particular focus on intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and quality monitoring. Country contributions highlighted experiences with implementing ICH guidelines in clinical practice.
The session on emerging leaders in stroke, chaired by Alexander Tsiskaridze and Hrvoje Budinčević, presented selected projects reflecting ongoing innovation in the region. Presentations by Marieta Peycheva and Rytis Masiliūnas demonstrated approaches to improving stroke care through digital solutions (virtual hospitals) and national system-level initiatives.
The final session, chaired by Zuzana Gvodinova and Michal Karlinski, focused on neurorehabilitation. Michal Karlinski introduced the session with results from the ESO EAST survey, followed by country presentations addressing current practice and remaining gaps in achieving optimal standards of care in neurorehabilitation.
Discussions were conducted in an amicable, constructive atmosphere, continuing the long-standing tradition of collaboration within the ESO EAST community.
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