CRC HDBK VENOUS DISOR PDF

Preface

Venous disease is receiving long-deserved and increasing recognition worldwide. Venous disorders are among the most prevalent medical conditions and, in the United States alone, each year an estimated 600 000 people have venous thromboembolism – a fact so alarming that the Surgeon General recently issued a Call to Action to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism. Increased recognition of venous disease is due to more research in this field, to early and accurate diagnosis and to less invasive and more effective treatments. The Third Edition of the Handbook of Venous Disorders brings you evidence-based guidelines on prevention, prediction, diagnosis and treatment of venous and lymphatic disorders.

The volume is more comprehensive than any of the previous editions. The chapters are completely revised, updated and 12 new chapters reflect the endovenous revolution that has so rapidly transformed management of acute and chronic venous diseases. The Handbook includes the latest information on epidemiology, basic science and investigation of venous and lymphatic disorders, and discusses modern venous imaging studies, including detailed evaluation of acute and chronic venous diseases with duplex scanning. Minimally invasive and endovenous technology has taken over management of venous disease to such an extent that need for some classic open venous surgical procedures has greatly decreased, and some operations are entirely omitted from the book. Discussion is extensive, however, on frequently performed procedures for varicose veins or venous ulcers, such as liquid and foam sclerotherapy or endothermal venous ablation with radiofrequency and laser. Prevention and treatment of acute deep vein thrombosis is presented in detail with latest results of outpatient drug therapies and of catheter-directed thrombolysis, mechanical thromb - ectomy and venous stenting. Chronic venous occlusions and valvular incompetence as well as unusual problems such as superior vena cava syndrome or venous tumors and lymphedema are discussed in detail; current and future research on venous disease are also presented.

The new feature of this fully colored edition is adding evidence-based clinical guidelines to each chapter on evaluation and management, together with evidence scores to help the reader assess the strength of evidence and the grade of recommendations. The last chapter in the book lists all evidence-based guidelines of the American Venous Forum.

This volume would not have been possible without the significant collaboration of eminent international experts in venous and lymphatic disease, who contributed their time, efforts and talents to this publication. Most are leaders or honorary members of the American Venous Forum, a society dedicated to the investigation, education and treatment of venous disease. I am particularly grateful to four friends, first-time Associate Editors of the Handbook, Michael Dalsing, Bo Eklöf, Greg Moneta and Thom Wakefield, all Past Presidents of the American Venous Forum, for their invaluable assistance, enthusiasm and generous support of this great project. I would like to thank Dr Robert B. Rutherford for his Foreword to the Third Edition and for being such a leader and role model in the field of venous disease and vascular malformations. Special thanks go to the fantastic team at Hodder in London, Francesca Naish and Gavin Jamieson, as well as the proofreader, June Morrison, for their hard work, constant support and particularly for the unbelievable patience they exhibited even to my frequently extreme requests for just another change in the Handbook. Working with them through the editorial process was extremely rewarding. I would also like to add a special thanks to my secretary, Marcia Simonson, for her tremendous help with the editorial process.

Finally, I would like to recognize the contribution of two very special people. The first is Dr James S.T. Yao, Editor Emeritus of the Handbook and Magerstadt Professor Emeritus of Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. Without his encouragement and support as Co-Editor of the first two editions, this project would have never come to fruition; towards him I will always feel a deep sense of gratitude. The second person to acknowledge is my wonderful wife and Assistant Editor of the Handbook, Dr Monika L. Gloviczki. Her experience and knowledge of venous disease, her editorial skills and, most importantly, her constant love and continuous inspiration made this project a real pleasure; for this I will always be thankful to her.