Meeting Report: 10 Years of Progress: Report from Selected Presentations at the 19th ECTRIMS Congress, 1720 September 2003, Milan, Italy.

The success of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) is notable, and Chris Polman (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), the new President of ECTRIMS, pointed out that the Congress had grown from an attendance of 50 delegates in 1982 to over 3000 at this 19th meeting. ECTRIMS 2003 provided an overview of recent achievements in clinical multiple sclerosis (MS) research, with sessions highlighting understanding and promoting functional and structural recovery, and the necessity and progress made in co-ordinating research efforts in MS. The impact of molecular biology, new perspectives in MRI and advances in treatment were covered in comprehensive reviews and original presentations. Five hundred stimulating posters from researchers around the world were also presented. Several satellite symposia, a young scientific investigators' session, an international workshop on remyelination in MS, a comprehensive exhibition and presentations of late-breaking research complemented the main programme.