Between September 17th – 21st, the American Vein & Lymphatic Society (AVLS) with the American Venous Forum, Canadian Society of Phlebology, and Mexican Academy of Phlebology & Lymphology welcomed us at the vibrant city of Miami Beach (Florida, USA) for one of the leading international medical conferences devoted to venous and lymphatic medicine.
Four days long, up to six scientific sessions ran concurrently throughout the day discussing scientific abstracts, superficial and deep venous disease, lymphedema and lipedema, ultrasound and venous imaging, venous nursing, and other related topics.
On Monday 18th of September, prof. dr. Sarah Thomis (vascular surgeon at the University Hospitals of Leuven) gave three presentations. In one presentation she offered an overview of the current evidence regarding reconstructive surgery in patients with lymphedema. In a second talk, she presented the outcomes of hard work from an interdisciplinary team all striving for the same purpose: managing and getting control of lymphedema in patients with chronic symptoms. Lastly, during a third presentation that took place during the medi® Lunch Symposium, she presented the results of her randomized controlled trial regarding the preventive effects of wearing a compression sleeve in patients with early signs of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). In addition, one of her longitudinal studies that was implemented in the talk as well indicated that lymphofluoroscopy is able to identify an early disturbance of lymphatic transport after breast cancer treatment. Patients with an early disturbance of lymphatic transport are considered to be a high-risk group for the development of BCRL.
On Wednesday 20th of September, our postdoctoral colleague Tessa De Vrieze gave a presentation regarding tailored treatment strategies for lymphedema. More specifically, an update regarding the current state of art and evidence for different treatment modalities for patients with either upper or lower limb lymphedema was presented. Also she argumented (using scientific findings) why manual lymphatic drainage should not be integrally part of the current standard treatment anymore in patients with chronic BCRL.
Our colleagues (and lymphedema specialists) from the Nij Smellinghe Hospital in Drachten were well represented along the scientific program and organized multiple interesting sessions regarding lymphedema and lipedema. Especially in the field of lipedema, vivid discussions were hold between different lipedema experts (from different continents/countries) elucidating their point of view on this important topic.
The next AVLS conference will be held in Chicago in October 2024. See you there!
Tessa De Vrieze