Executive summary

Abstract

ObjectivesThe objective of the Vein Glossary was to develop a consensus document that defines commonly used terms in phlebology and gives them a precise and accurate understanding. MethodsTo achieve the goal, the three organizing physicians (M. Perrin, B. Eklöf, O. Maleti) first developed a list of terms used in the published literature and in phlebology and anatomy books dealing with veins. The selected terms were limited to the usual field of the practicing phlebologists, including acute and chronic venous disease affecting the lower limbs, the pelvis, and the upper limbs. The terms selected covered anatomy, physiology, pathology, physiopathology, clinical aspects, investigation, and conservative and interventional treatments of venous disorders. American English was used in the entire document. The second step consisted of selecting participants on a voluntary base. Unfortunately, some individuals contacted for participating had previous engagements or editor contracts that prevented them from being participants. Finally, twenty-six experts were enrolled, representing 15 countries and various specialties: anatomy; dermatology; epidemiology; vascular medicine; vascular surgery; and venous malformations. Except for the experts in anatomy and in venous malformations, the 24 participants were enrolled in six groups. In each group, a team of four specialists was appointed to work on the definitions and a leader was selected to distribute the terms among the team members at his or her convenience. Each group contained at least one native English or American English speaker. The recommendation sent to the group leaders and the anatomy and venous malformation experts was that the number of words had to be limited at 70 per term and that any acronym will be explained at the first appearance in the term. Some examples of term definitions were joined to the recommendation. One of the organizers was in charge of the figures and provided original anatomical drawings as well original photographs. All the participants declared their conflict(s) of interest. Finally, after revision, each group leader sent to the organizers all the terms defined by the group. In turn, the organizers revised the terms and after multiple exchanges by email, the final document was obtained. In June 2017, a meeting was held in Porto, Portugal with group leaders and other participants to discuss the most challenging terms. All the terms, but not their contents, were translated to six languages, including French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. The final document was sent to several scientific societies for possible endorsement. ResultsThe duration of the process lasted 18 months and ended in January 2018. At the end, 907 terms were selected, with a median of 150 terms per working group. In detail, 150 terms were anatomic descriptions, 165 were descriptions of conservative or interventional treatment, and the remaining terms included other topics, such as venous investigation, physiology, pathology, pathophysiology, as well venous signs, symptoms, and named syndromes. Six references, quoted several times at the end of a term, were international consensus agreements. They are listed at the end of the glossary. Twenty-one figures depicting anatomy, investigation, and intraoperative images completed the work. Six large scientific societies have endorsed the present vein glossary: the American Venous Forum; the Australian-New Zealand College of Phlebology European Venous Forum; the Indian Association of Phlebology; the Latin American Venous Forum; and the International Union of Phlebology. The glossary will be available at the same time in a printed and in a Web version. A yearly update is scheduled to insert new terms as soon they are validated as venous definitions. In the foreword, Robert L. Kistner wrote: “This work provides a needed resource to improve the communication in phlebology and venous vascular surgery for physicians and researchers around the world. It is destined to become an important part of the library for all who are interested in understanding the emerging field of venous physiology and its multiple associations with basic science and clinical developments.” ConclusionsThe present Vein Glossary is the first comprehensive document gathering terms used by the phlebologist community.