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Congress President: Dr Peter Conrad
Chairman or Organising Committee: Dr G. Mark Malouf
Chairman of Academic Committee: Prof. Ken Myers
Originally published in the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Phlebology. (Jenkins D, ANZ J Phleb 1999;3(1):35)
The premiere event on the global calendar for phlebology was the 13th World Congress of the Union Internationale de Phlebologie, held at Darling Harbour from September 6-11, 1998.
This was a superbly organised week of lectures, presentations and workshops, which covered every aspect of venous disease. The plenary sessions involved presentations by invited speakers on clinical features, aetiology and investigation of venous disorders, chronic venous insufficiency, thromboembolism, surgical procedures, DVT risk and management and so it went on.
Workshops on sclerotherapy, ultrasound guided sclerotherapy and duplex ultrasound scanning gave an opportunity for those unfamiliar with these skills to see these procedures being demonstrated by recognised world experts.
A video theatre ran continuously each afternoon displaying various aspects of vein treatment, and there were some 56 poster presentations on phlebology and related topics. There were five meeting rooms where “oral communications” were simultaneously presented in the afternoons. Topics one could choose to attend included investigations, lymphology and angiodysplasias, research, venous physiology and a whole lot more. It was a smorgasboard of information and one could pick and choose the most relevant to one’s particular area of interest.
It is always interesting to see the myriad of approaches to the treatment of venous diseases taken globally. It was very humbling to listen to practitioners from poorer countries with limited and modest resources. The use of vinegar and wallpaper glue applied to bandages was one form of compression used where compression stockings are not affordable.
The isolation created by language and political barriers were evident with the presentation of surgical procedures which had been discarded by the Western medical community some twenty years ago!
Socially, conferences are always an excellent way to catch up with old friends, meet new ones and expand our associations with like-minded professionals. The 13th World Congress was no exception and I am sure all who attended spent a truly valuable and rewarding week in Sydney. Start planning to be in Rome for the XIVth World Congress in 2001!
This was the original conference brochure, provided by Dr Peter Conrad.
