A grant of almost one million euros for research in plastic surgery on innovative procedures

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The grant comes from the Dutch Organization for Health Research and Innovation in Health Care (ZonMw). ZonMw wants to stimulate innovation in healthcare while improving standard care and making it more affordable. The surgical procedures are aimed at treating lymphedema after breast cancer and nerve compression in the legs of diabetic patients. It is expected that the quality of life of patients with both treatments will greatly improve. Both interventions are promising but the long-term effects are still uncertain due to the lack of thorough research. With the grant from ZonMw, this is changing, to the satisfaction of the Dutch Society of Plastic Surgery (NVPC): "It is in the patient's interest that we continue to innovate and that this grant makes this possible …

The grant comes from the "ZonMw" Efficiency Research program, which allows projects to be included in which the effectiveness of the intervention has not yet been determined because, by For example, too little high quality research has been done. The purpose of such a grant is to contribute to research that focuses on the effects of weighing on health and costs, where a new treatment is compared to standard care in the Netherlands. This means that patients are divided into two groups during the Maastricht UMC + and UMC Utrecht exams. One group is treated with the conservative method and the other with the new method. During the four year studies, a total of about 450 patients will participate.

Lymphoedema after treatment of breast cancer

Research on the treatment of lymphedema is an initiative of the UMC + Maastricht in collaboration with Radboudumc. Each year, approximately 13,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, 6 to 43% of whom develop lymphedema, based on certain risk factors. Lymphedema is a serious chronic disease in which swelling occurs due to an accumulation of fluid. This often happens after breast cancer treatment. Currently, he is treated by massaging the arm and wearing a stocking. This reduces the complaints but does not cure it. It is therefore always a chronic disease. With the new treatment, one or more connections are made by means of a microsurgical procedure between the lymphatic vessels and the small blood vessels to drain fluid and relieve swelling. Research is also conducted in a number of other hospitals and together they receive nearly four tons for research. The NVPC welcomes the grant awarded. "Plastic surgery is a profession that requires continuous innovation and this grant helps us.This promotes the development of the field, but first and foremost it's especially good news for patients, because we hope to bring them better care with these studies, "says Professor René van der Hulst of the UMC + Maastricht and project applicant.

Nervous disorders in diabetic patients

UMC Utrecht will set up research on the treatment of nervous disorders in diabetic patients. In the Netherlands, there are about one million diabetic patients, nearly half of whom have neuropathy of the hands and feet. In some patients, this phenomenon is based on pinched nerves. This pinching causes additional damage and reduces sensation, which can cause ulcers, sores and infections in the foot. In advanced cases, it can even lead to amputations. It is still not known which patient develops nerve constriction and current treatments have varying effects. The new research focuses on the surgical release of the nerves, so that sensation in the limbs returns more and more and fewer injuries occur. UMC Utrecht, with eight other cooperating hospitals, will receive six tons. Researcher Willem Rinkel, a UMC Utrecht affiliate, is very pleased with the grant: "We are very happy and proud to have received this contribution.The expectations are high and with this financial support, we can really start . "

Source: NVPC