The second joint meeting of the Swedish vascular surgeons and interventional radiologists gathered 230 participants in Gothenburg May 3-4. The meeting is organised by the Swedish Society for Vascular Surgery (SSVS), chaired by Martin Malina from the Vascular Centre of Malm̦, and the Seldinger Society, chaired by professor Richard Nyman from the radiology department in Uppsala.
The societies offered both separate and joint lectures and discussions embracing topics on aortic stentgrafting, catheter-based tumour therapy, embolisation of gastrointestinal and traumatic haemorrhage, and radiation protection. A new on-line version of the well-known, pioneer national vascular registry, SWEDVASC, was presented and serves for documentation and evaluation of both endovascular and open vascular procedures nationwide.
Among the invited guest lecturers was Professor Michel Makaroun, from Pittsburgh University and Wojciech Cvikiel from Michigan State University, Ann Arbor. Professor Bo Ekl̦f, former president of the American Venous Forum, was elected honorary member of the SSVS. Mr Hans Wallst©n, reknowned for one of the most used stents in the world, the Wallstent, also participated in the meeting. Vascular surgery was recognised as a specialty by the Swedish government last year and the Conference was significant for the close cooperation of Swedish surgeons and radiologists in shaping a modern vascular service in Sweden.
A novel vascular department, merging not only interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons, but also angiologists, is launched in Malm̦ on May 21. The third joint vascular meeting will take place in Malm̦ in 2008 and is expected to gather 300 participants. A forum for physicians, nurses, technicians and industry focusing on peripheral vascular treatment is thereby formed.
