[One hundred years of the Association of Surgeons in the Netherlands. VII. Vascular surgery].

The Dutch Society for Vascular Surgery was founded in 1981, as the first daughter of the Association of Surgeons in the Netherlands. Twenty years of vascular surgery show a broad perspective. Aside from the traditional handywork--central vascular reconstruction, bypass surgery (especially in the legs), and carotid surgery--, there have been many developments. Operations are less invasive and vascular surgeons are cooperating more and more intensively with other medical disciplines, especially radiology. Examples are the endovascular treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm, in which an endoprosthesis is inserted via minute incisions in the groin by the vascular surgeon and an (interventional) radiologist together. In addition, interventions such as percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and stenting as well as new diagnostic possibilities (e.g. MRA) strengthen the cooperation with the radiologists. The multidisciplinary approach is also extremely important in other areas. Vascular surgeons team up with internal-medicine specialists (diabetes, hypertension, lipid metabolism disorders, thrombotic syndromes, etc.), rehabilitation specialists and podotherapists (in cases of diabetic foot and amputation), vascular laboratory technicians (diagnostics and follow-up by means of doppler and duplex techniques), and neurologists (cerebrovascular diseases). In the vascular centres, patients are treated effectively by a multidisciplinary team that draws up a plan for diagnosis and treatment. The two-year postgraduate course in vascular surgery is one of the tools used to guarantee and improve the high standard of quality. To this end, cooperation within Europe in the European Society for Vascular Surgery and the development and organisation of European examinations in vascular surgery are also of the essence.