Servier – Phlebolymphology

Dear Readers,

In this new issue of Phlebolymphology, you will find the articles as below:

I. FORNER-CORDERO and J. VAZQUEZ-DIEZ (Spain) review the role of compression therapy in lipedema, a very frequent chronic disease that mostly affects women and is frequently underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed, and whose pathophysiology is still under research. Clinical guidelines and consensus documents state that compression therapy should be part of the conservative treatment for lipedema and that patients with lipedema should receive compression garments as part of their treatment.

E. CONDE MONTERO (Spain) and A. VIVERO (Argentina) review atrophie blanche, a distinctive dermatological finding characterized by stellate, porcelain-white, atrophic plaques, commonly located on the lower extremities, which can be caused by chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), livedoid vasculopathy, vasculitis, and medication-induced vascular damage. This article aims to clarify the clinical significance of atrophie blanche, emphasizing the importance of accurate diagnosis and etiology-based management.

Although foam sclerotherapy remains the gold standard for telangiectasias and reticular vein treatment, newer approaches have emerged aiming to optimize results and reduce complications. A. RODRIGUES (Brazil) describes the sequential use of transdermal longpulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser following sclerotherapy, enhanced by cryo-cooling and augmented-reality guidance in the form of cryo-laser cryo-sclerotherapy (CLaCS). Evidenceshows higher clearance rates and fewer adverse effects when laser and sclerotherapy are used in tandem.

R. REACHI (Mexico) focuses on the challenge of management of chronic venous disease in an increasing number of elderly patients or patients that suffer associated comorbidities such as obesity or coagulopathies. The reviewed evidence shows how these associated diseases may contribute to the physiopathology and progression of chronic venous disease. Also, that elderly patients with superficial venous reflux can be safely treated with endovenous procedures.

The prevalence of neuropathy in chronic venous disease is poorly studied. N. E. OROZCO MONTENEGRO, R. RIAL-HORCAJO, N. CORRALES, and A. DIAZ (Guatemala) share the results of their transversal descriptive study on the prevalence of neuropathic pain in 370 patients with chronic venous insufficiency in Guatemala City, which affects around half of the studied patients, being more frequent in advanced stages of disease.

Enjoy reading this issue!

Co-Editor
Dr Lourdes Reina-Gutierrez