International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies
Newsletter Vol 10 - No 2 | April 2026
ISSVA President's Message
Dear ISSVA Colleagues,
With the ISSVA World Congress 2026 now only one month away, I am very pleased to welcome the many colleagues who have already registered and to warmly encourage others to join us for what promises to be an inspiring and energizing gathering of our global community. Philadelphia will provide a wonderful and historic setting for us to come together, exchange ideas, learn from one another, and strengthen the collaborations that are so important to our field.
I would like to sincerely thank the ISSVA Board of Directors, Scientific Committee, and Meeting Planning Committee for their tremendous work in shaping what I believe will be an outstanding program. I am also deeply grateful to everyone who submitted their work and will be presenting at the meeting. Your contributions are at the heart of this congress and are what make ISSVA such a strong and vibrant community.
During the meeting, we will also take time to honor the memory of John B. Mulliken, whose passing has been deeply felt across our society. As the founder of ISSVA, John played a defining role in shaping our field and building the foundation of the community we are privileged to be part of today. It will be a meaningful moment for us to remember his extraordinary legacy and the lasting impact he had on so many colleagues, patients, and families around the world.
The full scientific program is now available online, and I encourage you to review it as you plan your schedule. If you have not yet registered, there is still time to take advantage of the regular rate before registration closes on 5 May. We are pleased to offer both in-person and virtual attendance options. For those planning to join us in Philadelphia, I encourage you to book your accommodations soon, as discounted rooms at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown are nearly sold out. The room block closes on 26 April.
I also hope many of you will join us for the ISSVA Social Event on Thursday, 21 May at the historic Reading Terminal Market, located just across from the venue. It will be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy local cuisine, reconnect with colleagues, and celebrate our community together. Please be sure to add this event when completing your registration.
On behalf of the ISSVA Board of Directors, I very much look forward to welcoming many of you to Philadelphia. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@issva.org.
With warm regards,
Leo Schultze Kool
President, ISSVA
World of Vascular Anomalies
Survey Opportunity from University of Montréal:
Peri-sclerotherapy thromboprophylaxis in children with vascular anomalies
Sclerotherapy is widely used in the management of vascular anomalies in children, yet the evidence guiding peri-procedural thromboprophylaxis in this population remains very limited. Clinicians currently lack consensus-based recommendations to support decision-making, and practice patterns may vary widely. To address these knowledge gaps, we aim to conduct a worldwide survey to characterize current peri-sclerotherapy thromboprophylaxis practices in pediatric patients with vascular anomalies. The goal of this initiative is to capture real-world variability, identify areas of convergence and divergence, and better understand how clinicians assess thrombotic risk and select prophylactic strategies. By mapping current practice, we strive to support the eventual development of more standardized evidence-based approaches and to identify priorities for future research in this understudied area.
ISSVA Classification & Glossary
Issue Reporting
The ISSVA Classification and Glossary, updated in 2025, is a living document. We encourage your feedback for future iterations. Please submit any issues and/or feature requests for the ISSVA Classification System using the form below. Note: Names and emails are required in the form below, however, your information will not be shared publicly. These may be used to respond to your feedback directly by the Classification Working Group and/or ISSVA leadership.
The ISSVA 2026 World Congress is One Month Away!
Registration for the ISSVA World Congress 2026 in Philadelphia, PA, USA is now open! Registration rates are available now to everyone for both in-person and virtual attendance. Don't miss your chance to take part in this meeting, networking, and the fun we have planned for you.
A dedicated hotel block for ISSVA attendees is also now open. Help ISSVA keep meeting costs down in the future by staying on our site hotel. It is located in the same building as the meeting, making your stay easier. There are lots of great options to eat and socialize at around the hotel area. The ISSVA hotel block closes at 11:59pm CDT on 26 April 2026.
Don't forget to book your tickets for the ISSVA Social Event at Reading Terminal Market on Thursday, 21 May 2026 from 7-10pm! Tickets can be purchased during registration. If you've already registered, but didn't purchase your ticket, please reach out to info@issva.org for a payment link. Tickets are $150.00 and include heavy appetizers and deserts, beer/wine/non-alcoholic beverages, and live entertainment.
Registration closes for in-person attendance at 11:59 PM CDT on 5 May 2026. After that, in-person registration will be possible in-person at the meeting, for an increased rate.
Meet Taija Mäkinen - ISSVA World Congress Keynote Speaker
ISSVA is pleased to introduce Taija Mäkinen, PhD as our keynote speaker at the ISSVA World Congress 2026. We look forward to her keynote speech, "From Vascular Development and Models to Disease: Guiding New Approaches to Vascular Malformations".
Taija Mäkinen is a Professor at the University of Helsinki and serves as Director of the Wihuri Research Institute in Biomedicum Helsinki. She completed her doctoral studies at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Following postdoctoral training at the Max-Planck-Institute of Neurobiology in Germany, she established her research group at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute (now The Francis Crick Institute), before relocating to Uppsala University where she served as a professor prior to returning to Helsinki. Her research focuses on the mechanisms that govern the growth and function of the lymphatic vasculature and its interplay with the surrounding tissues. Her laboratory has pioneered key aspects of lymphatic vascular biology and developed technologies for modelling lymphatic diseases, leading to the identification of major regulators with implications for human genetic diseases and potential therapeutic targets.
2026 ISSVA Membership Renewals: Renew Now to Gain Discounted Registration to the World Congress!
Your membership may have expired on 31 January 2026. To receive discounted registration to the upcoming World Congress, you must renew your membership for the 2026 year. Continue to receive ISSVA updates and have access to ISSVA member benefits by renewing today!
If you prefer to renew with a written invoice, please reach out to us at info@issva.org or you can renew online on the ISSVA website.
ISSVA Board of Directors Election: Recommended Slate of Candidates
- The existing Board shall recommend a slate of candidates for the officer and at-large director positions for election by the membership. The Secretary must notify the voting membership of these recommendations at least four weeks prior to the General Assembly at which elections will be held. Only Active members can be nominated or serve as officers or at-large directors.
- Other nominations may be submitted by any member with voting rights to the Secretary at least one week prior to voting at the General Assembly. All nominees in good membership standing will appear on the ballot. Any member nominated for more than one office must choose which single office for which their name will appear on the ballot.
- The President-Elect, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and at-large directors will be chosen by a plurality vote of a quorum of the members at an annual General Assembly, unless such election is instead accomplished by electronic ballot in accordance with Article III, Section 6 of these Bylaws.
- No individual may hold 2 offices on the Board, but a Board member may also sit on the Scientific Committee.
2026 Recommended Board of Directors Election Ballot
President Elect
Miikka Vikkula, MD, PhD
Brussels, Belgium
Specialty: Genetics
Vice President
Dov Goldenberg, MD, PhD
Sao Paolo, Brazil
Specialty: Plastic Surgery
Treasurer
Maria Garzon, MD
New York, New York, United States
Specialty: Dermatology
Member at Large – 4 positions open
Eulalia Baselga, MD, PhD
Barcelona, Spain
Specialty: Dermatology
Annouk-Anne Bisdorff-Bresson, MD
Paris, France
Specialty: Interventional Radiology
Thuy Phung, MD, PhD
San Antonio, Texas, United States
Specialty: Pathology
Sarah Sheppard, MD, PhD, MS
Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Specialty: Genetics
Ratification of Scientific Committee Chair:
Ionela Iacobas, MD
Houston, Texas, United States
Specialty: Hematology/Oncology
Positions NOT on the ballot in 2026
• President – Juan Carlos Lopez-Gutierrez – Plastic Surgery (2026-2028)
• Secretary – Denise Adams – Heme/Onc (2024-2028)
• Past President – Leo Schultze Kool – IR (2026-2028)
• Editor-in-Chief – Gresham Richter – Otolaryngology (2025-2030)
Visit our website to learn more about each candidate and read the bylaws regarding Board of Directors candidate selection/nominee process and voting.
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JoVA is now indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): and moving towards Pubmed Central indexing.
Follow JoVA on X: @JOVAJournal
We invite you to read some of JoVA's most recent publications:
ISSVA 2025 Classification
- Updated Classification of Vascular Anomalies. A living document from the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies Classification Group
Goldenberg, Dov; Vikkula, Miikka; Penington, Anthony; Blei, Francine; Schultze Kool, Leo; Wassef, Michel; Frieden, Ilona J.; ISSVA Vascular Anomalies Classification Group
Clinical Study (Prospective, Retrospective, Case Series)
- Assessment of Provider Readiness for a Vascular Anomalies Multidisciplinary Clinic: A Quality Improvement Project in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Tanzania
Shemwetta, Mwivano; Kothari, Anusha; Karatas, Turkan Banu; Naif, Azza; Musa, Balowa; Mbuguje, Erick; Sianga, William Charles; Mungia, Abbas Musa; George, Paul; Shah, Jay - Sirolimus Use in Pediatric Vascular Anomalies: Morbidity and Mortality in a Cohort at Phoenix Children’s and Review of the Literature
Wessel, Shannon; Montoya, Liliana; Lavery, Michael Joseph; Andrews, Israel D.; Mirea, Lucia; Ritchey, Andrew; O’Haver, Judith; Kothari, Alok; Price, Harper
Case Report
- Four Cases of Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans With Clinical and Pathological Diagnosis Referred as Vascular Malformation Based on Imaging Diagnosis
Takamura, Nariaki; Nagao, Munetomo; Tamagake, Minami; Suzuki, Ayano; Imai, Yoshimichi - Kaposiform Lymphangiomatosis Complicated by Kasabach–Merritt Phenomenon, Recurrent Pericardial Effusions, and Pneumococcal Meningitis
Lee, Danny; Ding, Hilda; Kruk, Peter; Schiff, Deborah E.
Expert Opinion
- Sugammadex and the Risk of Unintended Pregnancy in Women With Vascular Anomalies, An Alert for the Team
Thirion, Charlotte; Docquier, Marie-Agnès; Coulie, Julien; Smajda, Stanislas; Hammer, Frank; Boon, Laurence M.; Seront, Emmanuel
Call for Papers
The Editorial staff of JOVA is issuing a Call for Papers. This peer reviewed, open access journal is dedicated to the discovery and report of the scientific investigation, diagnosis, and treatment of congenital and acquired human vascular lesions. JOVA is indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and is available worldwide on Ovid®. Some manuscripts already have PubMed IDs.
We are accepting the following article types:
- Original Scientific Research (molecular, genetic, histologic)
- Original Clinical Studies (prospective, retrospective, case series)
- Contemporary Reviews
- Evidence based Reviews
- How I do it
- Case Reports
- Letter to the Editor
Submit today to ISSVA’s journal dedicated to Vascular Anomalies. Expedited review and publication!
Connect With Us
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Social Media: Follow ISSVA on X @ISSVA_org and LinkedIn.
Are we missing any meetings or items of interest?
If you are aware of an upcoming educational opportunity, meeting or other item of interest that should be included, please let us know at info@issva.org so we can review the item and, if appropriate, share it with our membership in our next newsletter.