From January 27 to 30, 2026, the Leipzig Interventional Course – LINC 2026 was held in Leipzig, Germany. This is the largest event with over 20 years of history, dedicated to interventional radiology and vascular surgery.

The main mission of the course is to promote endovascular technologies through live surgery broadcasts. The course was traditionally held at Leipzig's Congress Center – "Leipziger Messe" – the largest exhibition center in Germany, equipped with state-of-the-art broadcasting facilities, offering extensive exhibition space and good transport accessibility.

In 2026, the congress brought together 2,075 participants: specialists in interventional radiology, vascular surgery, cardiology, angiology, and other medical fields, from 70 countries around the world. Live surgery broadcasts were transmitted from operating rooms in 9 European centers in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, 2 centers in the USA, 2 centers in Japan, and 1 clinic from China.

Within the framework of the course, 64 thematic sessions were organized, where leading world experts in interventional radiology presented the latest advances in the treatment of peripheral artery diseases, aorta, carotid vessels, venous pathology, as well as innovative interventional treatment methods using the latest developments in the medical industry.

In addition to the main program, sponsored satellite symposia with presentations of medical equipment were held within the course, a hands-on training area was organized for practicing manual skills with interventional equipment using medical simulators, and a large thematic medical exhibition took place, where over 40 manufacturers of medical equipment presented their products.

The LINC 2026 Organizing Committee invited M.A. Klimov, an interventional radiologist at RCMC, to give a presentation on laser technologies in the treatment of cardiovascular pathology: "Excimer Laser Coronary Angioplasty in Chronic Total Occlusions: Clinical and Technical Outcomes with OCT Guidance."

Our colleague's report attracted great interest from the participants and also initiated an active discussion on the issues raised.

The results of participation in the interventional course included establishing new professional contacts with colleagues from leading European clinics and gaining new experience in performing complex interventional radiology procedures, which are already being implemented at RCMC.