Angiological days 2003

WELCOME ADDRESS

Dear Colleagues

The year is almost over and the time is approaching for the Angiological Days ń the annual conference of the Czech Society of Angiology. In 2003, however, we have another anniversary to celebrate. For when we meet it will be ten years, almost to the day, since we inaugurated the Czech Society of Angiology. Before then, we used to meet under the auspices of the Czech Society of Cardiology as one of their sections or working groups. The decision to form our own society in 1993 did not meet with everybody's approval or understanding. Today, ten years later, there can be no doubt that the step was extremely important and that it has led to unprecedented activity and development in our field. Proof of this can be found in the Angiological Days themselves, which, over the ten years of their existence, have changed from a relatively modest domestic event into a conference whose prestige increases with every year and during which we have the opportunity to meet with many leading experts from abroad. We are happy that our cooperation with associated expert societies continues to improve the quality of our meetings. I would like to mention in this respect particularly the Association of Interventional Radiologists and the Society of Cardiovascular Surgeons.

The second jubilee that we celebrate in 2003 is the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Christian Doppler. His scientific work published 160 years ago constitutes the theoretical foundation for the most important diagnostic methods used today. We speak his name on a daily basis as a simple and understandable professional term. For us it is of special importance that Doppler discovered the frequency shift during his stay in Prague, where he was working in the Technical University and was involved in local scientific life as a full member of the Royal Czech Scientific Society.

The exchange of scientific information and the results of clinical activities are the basis for the development of every scientific field. I am certain that the Angiological Days in 2003 will also represent an outstanding opportunity for its participants to acquaint themselves with the current state of our field. I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to Prague to attend our traditional meeting.