Abstract
Objective: Funding for research in varicose vein disease has traditionally been poor despite its negative impact and high prevalence affecting millions of people. To identify high yield topics that would benefit from dedicated research and funding, the AVF Research Committee hosted a Research Priorities Retreat for C2 disease. We hypothesized that an open forum of brief presentations, open panel discussions, and forced rank surveys would identify scientific priorities in C2 disease and provide a foundation for designing future research efforts.
Methods: The initial list of topics for discussion and potential speakers was reviewed by members of the 2024 AVF Research Committee based on recently published guidelines on C2 disease and on scientific experience. All participants were required to participate synchronously during the virtual event. The format prioritized high yield topics, opportunities for robust discussion and transparency for registered AVF members. A force rank survey was administered before and after the retreat to committee members, panel speakers, and discussions. In addition, registrants who attended were also given the opportunity to rank topics after discussion.
Results: The speakers, discussants and committee members (N=12) who ranked topics immediately before and after the retreat represented a multidisciplinary team from vascular surgery, interventional radiology, vascular medicine, and phlebology with clinical and scientific doctorate experience. understanding the underlying etiologies, the biological mechanisms, and identifying new medical therapies were considered the highest research priorities, followed by ways to achieve healthcare equity for patients with C2 disease.
Conclusion: This study represents a multidisciplinary effort by the AVF Research Committee to identify research priorities in C2 disease. The retreat was carefully planned and transparently executed, providing a mechanism to inform future research efforts of the AVF. Future biologic therapies to target and improve the treatment of varicose veins and health care equity were the top priorities in post event ranking. The resulting document may provide guidance for investigators hoping to pursue research in C2 varicose vein disease.