Developing and Revising Venous Classifications for SVP and CEAP By Kathleen Gibson, MD, FACS, FAVLS
Over the past couple of decades, those of us committed to the treatment of venous disease have recognized that importance of consistently and uniformly classifying our patients results in significant advances in how we conduct research and how we educate each other on venous disease. The CEAP classification system is currently in its 4th revision and is utilized in describing our patients in almost all research and publications. However, when we consider the venous system located in the pelvic region, we have found that CEAP is not an effective tool to describe the patient’s disease appropriately. Dr. Kathleen Gibson
To better describe patients with pelvic venous disease, an international team led by Mark Meissner, MD, FAVLS, and the American Vein & Lymphatic Society (AVLS) developed a new classification tool, SVP – Symptoms, Varices & Pathophysiology of Pelvic Venous Disease. This new tool was described in the recent publication of the JVS-VL. (read the article) Now that we have a validated tool for classifying all patients with pelvic venous disease, the question has arisen as to how can we ensure that we are all trained on the proper use of the new SVP tool? Well, thanks to a grant from the Foundation for Venous & Lymphatic Disease made possible by a generous gift from Medtronic, the AVLS is excited to develop an educational workbook that guides learners through a series of pelvic venous disease cases and trains each user to apply the appropriate SVP classification properly. Furthermore, the AVLS led by Kathleen Gibson, MD, FAVLS, has in development a mobile application for both android and IOS devices that quickly helps you correctly specify the SVP designation. The mobile application is expected for global release in early June 2021, followed by the SVP digital workbook in September. But let’s not stop there! The AVLS and the American Venous Forum (AVF) have reached an agreement to take the digital workbook concept and develop a second workbook focused on training us on the appropriate use of the CEAP classification tool. The CEAP system has been in use for a couple of decades and just underwent its 4th revision in 2020. We have also recognized that while we are all reasonably adept at the C-Clinical designation of CEAP, we are not all as well versed in the E, A, & P. As such, a second team led by Fedor Lurie, MD, and Marc Passman, MD, will develop a CEAP workbook in parallel to the SVP workbook with an expected release date this summer. Both workbooks will be available at the AVLS online store. Those interested in learning more about pelvic venous disease and how to appropriately classify our patients will be on the lookout over the summer to release these exciting new tools. Plan to be part of the AVLS Annual Congress this October in Denver, CO (visit website), where you will be able to interact with your peers for a more in-depth understanding of the classification system and the supporting educational tools.
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