Phlebolymphology N°68 – Editorial
Dear Readers,
This issue of Phlebolymphology contains some very interesting articles offering relevant information of scientific and practical importance.
The report from Georges Jantet, Paris, on the latest “Controversies in Vascular Surgery”meeting, which is held in Paris every January, is an excellent example. This masterly report gives a well-balanced overview of the present state of discussions concerning the management of venous diseases of the lower extremities from the viewpoint of an experienced surgeon. The report is very helpful in clarifying the ongoing arguments between supporters of CHIVA and ASVAL and between believers in venous reflux and those who think that venous obstruction is essential.
A phlebologist is well aware of aneurysms in the popliteal and saphenous veins, but may be surprised to learn that visceral venous aneurysms occur frequently.
Giorgos Sfyroeras and coworkers from Athanasios Giannoukas’s group, Larissa University, Greece, performed a literature search which identified 93 reports of a total of 193 visceral aneurysms in 193 patients. The article contains 95 references and is a rich source of detailed information on this subject.
Zuzana Navratilova from Brno presents a report on a Czech multicenter trial in which MPFF at a dose of 500 mg was tested in a total of 196 patients with venous leg edema. After a treatment period of two months, signs and symptoms were significantly reduced.
Fascinating new experimental results concerning tissue pressure and fluid movement under the influence of manual massage and intermittent pneumatic compression in patients with lymphedema of the lower extremities are reported by Waldemar Olzewski, Warsaw. Interestingly, there was no significant difference between control subjects and patients with lymphedema in subcutaneous tissue pressure, which ranged from -1 to +10 mm Hg. During manual massage the applied force generated surprisingly high pressures of between 100 and 150 mm Hg, leading to local flow of tissue fluid during compression.
Jean Francois Uhl and Claude Gillot, University of Paris, summarize their award-winning poster presented at the UIP World Meeting in Monaco 2009 on the anatomy and physiology of the plantar venous pump. It is exciting to see that even in the 21st century new insights into the basic anatomy and physiology of this very important segment of the venous macrocirculation can be obtained by thorough examinations.
