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Lymphology between disciplines
Regardless of which part of the lymph drainage system is affected, homeostasis in the affected tussue is disturbed with secondary pathophysiological and pathomorphological alterations as a result, which then manifest as an independent illness. The most common disease is lymphedema affecting various parts of the body. This means, that diseases of the vascular system, when left untreated, lead to a chronic diseased condition of the connective tissue. The question is raised: Is Lymphology to be defined as a study of vascular disease, as
with the veins and arteries, and lymphedema as a symptom, as fever is with inflammatory processes; or is it an independent disease of the connective tissue. According to the WHO definition, lymphedema is a chronic disease which progresses with severe complications without adequate therapy.
Due to the two-sided nature of clinical lymphology, lymphedema is associated with several medical disciplines, such as Angiology including vascular surgery, Dermatology, Phlebology and Internal Medicine. A further handicap for Lymphology is the absence of valid diagnostic measures. Therapy is conservative in most cases, and surgical for a small subset of patients. Widely used treatment methods have not yet undergone sufficient meta-analysis of multiple studies which have been adequately rigorous, well-controlled, and with sufficient follow-up. Satisfactory studies comparing different methods of treatment do not exist. It is also worth considering that a combination of therapies may be the best for some patients, but these combinations are studied even less frequently in comparison trials.
The unusual structure of the 43 rd Congress of the European Society of Lymphology has been chosen with the aim of establishing where we are with regards to diagnostic measures and therapeutic forms, and in which direction future theoretical and clinical research work should be focussed. A further aim is to conduct multicentric studies according to strict clinical parameters and to attract sufficient numbers of patients for trials.
Professor Dr. med Etelka Földi Congress president
THE EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF LYMPHOLOGY - Vol. XXIX - Nr. 76 - 2017
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