International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies
Newsletter Vol 10 - No 3 | June 2026
ISSVA President's Message
Dear ISSVA Members,
It is a tremendous honor to begin my term as President of ISSVA and to serve this remarkable society over the next two years. I am deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in me, and I look forward to working alongside all of you as we continue to advance the care, research, and education of vascular anomalies worldwide.
As I assume this role, I would like to acknowledge the many leaders who have helped shape ISSVA into the vibrant global community it is today. In particular, I extend my sincere gratitude to our immediate Past President, Leo Schultze Kool, whose outstanding leadership over the past two years has strengthened our society in countless ways.
I would also like to thank our Board of Directors, especially Francine Blei, who served from 2012–2026, and Michel Wassef, who served from 2016–2026, as their Board service concluded at the 2026 ISSVA World Congress. Their dedication, leadership, and service have made extraordinary contributions to ISSVA.
At the same time, I am pleased to welcome our newly elected and re-elected leaders: Miikka Vikkula (President-Elect), Dov Goldenberg (Vice President), Maria Garzon (Treasurer), Ionela Iacobas (Scientific Committee Chair), and Members-at-Large Eulalia Baselga, Thuy Phung, Annouk-Anne Bisdorff-Bresson, and Sarah Sheppard. I look forward to working with this outstanding group as we guide ISSVA into its next chapter.
Last month, we gathered in Philadelphia for the 2026 ISSVA World Congress, one of the largest and most successful meetings in our history, welcoming 943 attendees from 52 countries and 26 specialties. The outstanding scientific program showcased the strength, diversity, and collaborative spirit of our global vascular anomalies community. I am deeply grateful to our Board of Directors, Scientific Committee, and Meeting Planning Committee for their tireless efforts in delivering such a memorable and successful meeting.
The Congress also provided an important opportunity for our community to come together in remembrance of John B. Mulliken, ISSVA's founder, whose recent passing has been felt deeply throughout our society. We were honored to dedicate a special memorial session and tribute slideshow to John's life, vision, and extraordinary contributions to the field of vascular anomalies. The session, presented by Miikka Vikkula, Laurence Boon, and Steven Fishman, celebrated John's enduring legacy and the profound impact he had on generations of clinicians, scientists, and patients around the world. We were especially honored to welcome John's wife, A. Portia Chiou, MD, and daughter, Olivia Angelica, whose presence made the tribute all the more meaningful.
To further honor John's legacy, ISSVA has established the John B. Mulliken ISSVA Education Fund. This fund recognizes Dr. Mulliken's lifelong commitment to education, innovation, and collaboration in the field of vascular anomalies. Donations to the fund will support scholarships, trainee education, lectureships, and other educational initiatives that advance research, multidisciplinary collaboration, and patient care. I encourage those who are able to consider making a contribution as we work together to ensure that John's vision continues to inspire and support future generations of clinicians and scientists.
As we celebrate the success of Philadelphia, we are already looking ahead to future opportunities to learn, collaborate, and connect. Please save the dates for ISSVA Debates and Updates 2027 (5–7 May 2027, Dublin, Ireland) and the ISSVA World Congress 2028 (16–19 May 2028, Reykjavík, Iceland).
Thank you for your continued support of ISSVA. I am excited for what we will accomplish together over the next two years and look forward to working with all of you as we continue to advance our shared mission.
With best regards,
Juan-Carlos Lopez-Gutierrez
President, ISSVA
Volunteers Needed for ISSVA Classification Task Forces
ISSVA is seeking volunteers to contribute to two important Classification Task Forces focused on improving the ISSVA Classification:
• Orbital Vascular Anomalies Task Force
• Verrucous Venous Malformation Task Force
If you have expertise or interest in these areas and would like to participate, we encourage you to volunteer by completing the form below:
Donate to the John B. Mulliken Education Fund
Project Introduction – ClinOVAMA and RadiOVAMA Delphi Consensus Studies
The OVAMA (Outcome measures for VAscular MAlformations) project aims to improve and standardize outcome reporting in vascular malformations. Over the past years, OVAMA has established core outcome domains and developed patient-reported outcome measures to support more consistent and meaningful evaluation of treatments.
As the next step in the OVAMA project, we are launching two independent international Delphi consensus studies:
• The ClinOVAMA study– focusing on the Clinician-Reported Outcome Domain including clinical assessment made by physicians based on their clinical observations
• The RadiOVAMA study – focusing on Radiological Assessment of imaging techniques used for diagnosis, interventional procedures and follow-up of vascular malformations
We invite:
• Clinicians involved in vascular malformation care
• Diagnostic and interventional radiologists with experience in vascular malformations
Participation in one of the studies involves completing two online surveys and joining one online consensus meeting.
Interested in participating?
Please register here: Registration form
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.
Thank you for attending the ISSVA World Congress 2026!
Thank you to all who made the ISSVA World Congress 2026 such a success!
Don't forget - the meeting recordings are currently available to all attendees. Please let us know if you registered, but haven't seen the email with the log in instructions.
If you need an attendance or presentation certificate, a copy of your registration receipt, or would like to purchase the meeting recordings, please email us - info@issva.org.
Don't forget, if you took any photos during the meeting and are willing to share them, please send them to us!
We can't wait to welcome you to Dublin for the 2027 Debates & Updates Meeting!
2026 ISSVA Membership: Renew or Join Today!
If you haven't renewed your membership, or joined - now is the time to do so! ISSVA membership has many benefits, including early registration access to our Debates & Updates Meetings.
- Gain exposure through ISSVA's "Find a Specialist" and "Find a Vascular Anomalies Team" features online
- Engage in networking opportunities with other professionals involved in vascular anomalies
- Share your research and receive a discount to publish in the Journal of Vascular Anomalies (JoVA)
- Receive discounted rates to attend ISSVA's meeting and educational offerings
- Be an active member of the vascular anomalies community treating these diseases and improving the lives of patients globally
If you prefer to renew or join with a written invoice, please reach out to us at info@issva.org.
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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)
- Hematologic Complications After Epiphysiodesis for Vascular Malformation-Related Leg-Length Discrepancy: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Beqo, Besiana P.; Thompson, Amanda; Spencer, Samantha A.; Liang, Marilyn G.; Shah, Tishi - Sirolimus Administration Does Not Affect Growth Parameters in Children with Vascular Anomalies Treated for 2 Years or More
Rao, Marisa; Simon, Jesline; Iacobas, Ionela - Early Sirolimus Therapy Combined With Sclerotherapy for the Management of Extensive Neonatal Cervicofacial Lymphatic Malformations: Clinical and MR-Volumetric Follow-up in a Series of 10 Patients
Fraissenon, Antoine; Fortin, Francis; Cabet, Sara; Frade, Fernanda; Bigorre, Michele; Guilhem, Alexandre; Belot, Alexandre; Viremouneix, Loic; Quere, Isabelle; Dunand, Olivier; Chauvel Picard, Julie; Morin, Gabriel; Canaud, Guillaume; Guibaud, Laurent
Case Report
- Somatic MAP2K1 Variant Driver in a Child With Rosai-Dorfman-Destombes Disease And Vascular Anomaly
Glasser, Chana L. MD; Bennett, James T. MD, PhD; El-Ali, Alexander MD; Forlenza, Christopher MD; Liu, Cynthia MD, PhD; Monteleone, Berrin MD; Thomas, Kristen MD; Blei, Francine MD - Interdisciplinary Management of an Intra-Articular Venous Malformation of the Left Knee in a Pediatric Patient
Velarde-Castillo, Mayra Citlalli; Cruz-Melendrez, Dayri Alejandra; Anaya-Ayala, Javier E.; Ramírezslas, Daniel Alberto; Navarro-Pérez, Julio Alberto; Celis-Jiménez, Alejandro
Contemporary Review
- Microcystic and Macrocystic Lymphatic Malformations: Distinct Genetics and Clinical Strategies
Kamireddy, Arun; Weiss, Clifford; Martini, Jeff; Kelly, Michael; Gnarra Buethe, Maria
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
Message Boards: Read the latest messages or start a conversation online with other members - ISSVA Message Boards.
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.
