Clinical Guidelines
The Clinical Guidelines on this page include expert-developed recommendations created by trusted external organisations and healthcare networks. These guidelines are carefully selected to provide healthcare professionals with valuable resources for diagnosing, treating, and managing rare vascular diseases. While some are not directly created by VASCERN’s Rare Disease Working Groups, they complement the network’s efforts to improve care for patients across Europe.
These guidelines are provided as additional resources for healthcare professionals. VASCERN does not directly create or modify the content of these guidelines but recognises their value in enhancing patient care.
Use the filter tools below to easily find the guidelines that suit your needs.
How to use the filter
- Select a Working Group: Choose the relevant Rare Disease Working Group (e.g., HHT, HTAD) to find guidelines specific to a condition.
- Choose a Language: Select your preferred language to access materials available in multiple translations.
With these filters, you can quickly locate the most relevant and accessible guidelines for your practice.
Fabien Praz, Michael A Borger, Jonas Lanz, Mateo Marin-Cuartas, Ana Abreu, Marianna Adamo, Nina Ajmone Marsan, Fabio Barili, Nikolaos Bonaros, Bernard Cosyns, Ruggero De Paulis, Habib Gamra, Marjan Jahangiri, Anders Jeppsson, Robert J M Klautz, Benoit Mores, Esther Pérez-David, Janine Pöss, Bernard D Prendergast, Bianca Rocca, Xavier Rossello, Mikio Suzuki, Holger Thiele, Christophe Michel Tribouilloy, Wojtek Wojakowski, ESC/EACTS Scientific Document Group , 2025 ESC/EACTS Guidelines for the management of valvular heart disease: Developed by the task force for the management of valvular heart disease of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), European Heart Journal, Volume 46, Issue 44, 21 November 2025, Pages 4635–4736, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf194
Julie De Backer, Kristina H Haugaa, Nina Eide Hasselberg, Michèle de Hosson, Margarita Brida, Silvia Castelletti, Matthew Cauldwell, Elisabetta Cerbai, Lia Crotti, Natasja M S de Groot, Mette-Elise Estensen, Eva S Goossens, Bernhard Haring, Donata Kurpas, Carmel M McEniery, Sanne A E Peters, Amina Rakisheva, Antonia Sambola, Oliver Schlager, Florian S Schoenhoff, Tommaso Simoncini, Françoise Steinbach, Isabella Sudano, Lorna Swan, Anne Marie Valente, ESC Scientific Document Group , 2025 ESC Guidelines for the management of cardiovascular disease and pregnancy: Developed by the task force on the management of cardiovascular disease and pregnancy of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)
Endorsed by the European Society of Gynecology (ESG), European Heart Journal, Volume 46, Issue 43, 14 November 2025, Pages 4462–4568, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf193
Developed by the task force on the management of peripheral arterial and aortic diseases of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Endorsed by the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), the European Reference Network on Rare Multisystemic Vascular Diseases (VASCERN), and the European Society of Vascular Medicine (ESVM).
Summary: These guidelines address PAAD, updating and merging the 2017 peripheral arterial diseases and 2014 aortic diseases guidelines. The focus is primarily on atherosclerotic arterial diseases, but they also address some non-atherosclerotic genetic conditions.
Authors: Mazzolai L, Teixido-Tura G, Lanzi S, Boc V, Bossone E, Brodmann M, Bura-Rivière A, De Backer J, Deglise S, Della Corte A, Heiss C, Kałużna-Oleksy M, Kurpas D, McEniery CM, Mirault T, Pasquet AA, Pitcher A, Schaubroeck HAI, Schlager O, Sirnes PA, Sprynger MG, Stabile E, Steinbach F, Thielmann M, van Kimmenade RRJ, Venermo M, Rodriguez-Palomares JF; ESC Scientific Document Group.
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Evangelista A, Flachskampf FA, Erbel R, Antonini-Canterin F, Vlachopoulos C, Rocchi G, Sicari R, Nihoyannopoulos P, Zamorano J; European Association of Echocardiography; Document Reviewers:; Pepi M, Breithardt OA, Plonska-Gosciniak E. Echocardiography in aortic diseases: EAE recommendations for clinical practice. Eur J Echocardiogr. 2010 Sep;11(8):645-58. doi: 10.1093/ejechocard/jeq056. Erratum in: Eur J Echocardiogr. 2011 Aug;12(8):642. PMID: 20823280.
Grabenwöger M, Alfonso F, Bachet J, Bonser R, Czerny M, Eggebrecht H, Evangelista A, Fattori R, Jakob H, Lönn L, Nienaber CA, Rocchi G, Rousseau H, Thompson M, Weigang E, Erbel R. Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair (TEVAR) for the treatment of aortic diseases: a position statement from the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), in collaboration with the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI). Eur Heart J. 2012 Jul;33(13):1558-63. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehs074. Epub 2012 May 4. PMID: 22561257.
Goldstein SA, Evangelista A, Abbara S, Arai A, Asch FM, Badano LP, Bolen MA, Connolly HM, Cuéllar-Calàbria H, Czerny M, Devereux RB, Erbel RA, Fattori R, Isselbacher EM, Lindsay JM, McCulloch M, Michelena HI, Nienaber CA, Oh JK, Pepi M, Taylor AJ, Weinsaft JW, Zamorano JL, Dietz H, Eagle K, Elefteriades J, Jondeau G, Rousseau H, Schepens M. J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2015 Feb;28(2):119-82. doi: 10.1016/j.echo.2014.11.015. PMID: 25623219.
Baumgartner H, De Backer J, Babu-Narayan SV, Budts W, Chessa M, Diller GP, Lung B, Kluin J, Lang IM, Meijboom F, Moons P, Mulder BJM, Oechslin E, Roos-Hesselink JW, Schwerzmann M, Sondergaard L, Zeppenfeld K; ESC Scientific Document Group.Eur Heart J. 2020 Aug 29:ehaa554. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa554. Online ahead of print.PMID: 32860028
Elajmi A, Clapuyt P, Hammer F, Bataille AC, Lengele B, Boon LM. Prise en charge des anomalies vasculaires chez l’enfant [Management of vascular anomalies in children]. Ann Chir Plast Esthet. 2016 Oct;61(5):480-497. French. doi: 10.1016/j.anplas.2016.06.015. Epub 2016 Sep 15. PMID: 27641115.
Stillo F, Mattassi R, Diociaiuti A, Neri I, Baraldini V, Dalmonte P, Amato B, Ametrano O, Amico G, Bianchini G, Campisi C, Cattaneo E, Causin F, Cavalli R, Colletti G, Corbeddu M, Coppo P, DE Fiores A, DI Giuseppe P, El Hachem M, Esposito F, Fulcheri E, Gandolfo C, Grussu F, Guglielmo A, Leuzzi M, Manunza F, Moneghini L, Monzani N, Nicodemi E, Occella C, Orso M, Pagella F, Paolantonio G, Pasetti F, Rollo M, Ruggiero F, Santecchia L, Spaccini L, Taurino M, Vaghi M, Vercellio G, Zama M, Zocca A, Aguglia M, Castronovo EL, DE Lorenzi E, Fontana E, Gusson E, Lanza J, Lizzio R, Mancardi MM, Rosina E. Guidelines for Vascular Anomalies by the Italian Society for the study of Vascular Anomalies (SISAV). Int Angiol. 2022 Apr;41(2 Suppl 1):1-130. doi: 10.23736/S0392-9590.22.04902-1. PMID: 35546136.
Wassef M, Blei F, Adams D, Alomari A, Baselga E, Berenstein A, Burrows P, Frieden IJ, Garzon MC, Lopez-Gutierrez JC, Lord DJ, Mitchel S, Powell J, Prendiville J, Vikkula M; ISSVA Board and Scientific Committee. Vascular Anomalies Classification: Recommendations From the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies. Pediatrics. 2015 Jul;136(1):e203-14. doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-3673. Epub 2015 Jun 8. Review.
Malfait F, Castori M, Francomano CA, Giunta C, Kosho T, Byers PH. The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2020 Jul 30;6(1):64. doi: 10.1038/s41572-020-0194-9. PMID: 32732924.
Diagnosis, natural history, and management in vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Byers PH, Belmont J, Black J, De Backer J, Frank M, Jeunemaitre X, Johnson D, Pepin M, Robert L, Sanders L, Wheeldon N. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2017 Mar;175(1):40-47. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.c.31553. Review. PMID: 28306228
Benchellal ZA, Huten N, Danquechin Dorval E, Podeur L, Rahili A, Lemeret S, De Muret A. Abdominal emergencies in type IV ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Gastroenterol Clin Biol. 1998 Mar;22(3):343-5. French
Wiesmann T, Castori M, Malfait F, Wulf H. Recommendations for anesthesia and perioperative management in patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome(s). Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2014 Jul 23;9:109. doi: 10.1186/s13023-014-0109-5. Review
Boodhwani M, Andelfinger G, Leipsic J, Lindsay T, McMurtry MS, Therrien J, Siu SC; Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Canadian Cardiovascular Society position statement on the management of thoracic aortic disease. Can J Cardiol. 2014 Jun;30(6):577-89.
Sobey G. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: how to diagnose and when to perform genetic tests. Arch Dis Child. 2015 Jan;100(1):57-61
Bergqvist D, Björck M, Wanhainen A. Treatment of vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: a systematic review. Ann Surg. 2013 Aug;258(2):257-61. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e31829c7a59. Review
Chetty SP, Shaffer BL, Norton ME. Management of pregnancy in women with genetic disorders, Part 1: Disorders of the connective tissue, muscle, vascular, and skeletal systems.Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2011 Nov;66(11):699-709. Review
Bersano A, Khan N, Fuentes B, Acerbi F, Canavero I, Tournier-Lasserve E, Vajcoczy P, Zedde ML, Hussain S, Lémeret S, Kraemer M, Herve D. European Stroke Organisation (ESO) Guidelines on Moyamoya angiopathy Endorsed by Vascular European Reference Network (VASCERN). Eur Stroke J. 2023 Mar;8(1):55-84. doi: 10.1177/23969873221144089. Epub 2023 Feb 2. PMID: 37021176; PMCID: PMC10069176.
Faughnan ME, Mager JJ, Hetts SW, Palda VA, Lang-Robertson K, Buscarini E, Deslandres E, Kasthuri RS, Lausman A, Poetker D, Ratjen F, Chesnutt MS, Clancy M, Whitehead KJ, Al-Samkari H, Chakinala M, Conrad M, Cortes D, Crocione C, Darling J, de Gussem E, Derksen C, Dupuis-Girod S, Foy P, Geisthoff U, Gossage JR, Hammill A, Heimdal K, Henderson K, Iyer VN, Kjeldsen AD, Komiyama M, Korenblatt K, McDonald J, McMahon J, McWilliams J, Meek ME, Mei-Zahav M, Olitsky S, Palmer S, Pantalone R, Piccirillo JF, Plahn B, Porteous MEM, Post MC, Radovanovic I, Rochon PJ, Rodriguez-Lopez J, Sabba C, Serra M, Shovlin C, Sprecher D, White AJ, Winship I, Zarrabeitia R. Second International Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Dec 15;173(12):989-1001. doi: 10.7326/M20-1443. Epub 2020 Sep 8. PMID: 32894695.
Damstra RJ, Halk AB; Dutch Working Group on Lymphedema. The Dutch lymphedema guidelines based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health and the chronic care model. J Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord. 2017 Sep;5(5):756-765. doi: 10.1016/j.jvsv.2017.04.012. Epub 2017 Jun 30. PMID: 28818234.
German guideline “Diagnostics and therapy of lymphedema“: Jörg Wilting, Rolf Bartkowski, Rüdiger Baumeister, Etelka Földi, Susanna Stöhr, Gerson Strubel, Klaus Schrader, Jürg Traber, May 2017
European Association for the Study of the Liver. Electronic address: easloffice@easloffice.eu. EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: Vascular diseases of the liver. J Hepatol. 2016 Jan;64(1):179-202. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2015.07.040. Epub 2015 Oct 26. PMID: 26516032.
Summary: This CUGC intends to give guidance regarding molecular genetic testing in patients with thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection. It includes genes associated with non-syndromic and syndromic conditions.
Authors: Arslan-Kirchner M, Arbustini E, Boileau C, Charron P, Child AH, Collod-Beroud G, De Backer J, De Paepe A, Dierking A, Faivre L, Hoffjan S, Jondeau G, Keyser B, Loeys B, Mayer K, Robinson PN, Schmidtke J.
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Summary: These Ghent criteria, comprising a set of major and minor manifestations in different body systems, have proven to work well since with improving molecular techniques, confirmation of the diagnosis is possible in over 95% of patients. However, concerns with the current nosology are that some of the diagnostic criteria have not been sufficiently validated, are not applicable in children or necessitate expensive and specialised investigations.
Authors: Loeys BL, Dietz HC, Braverman AC, Callewaert BL, De Backer J, Devereux RB, Hilhorst-Hofstee Y, Jondeau G, Faivre L, Milewicz DM, Pyeritz RE, Sponseller PD, Wordsworth P, De Paepe AM.
Faughnan ME, Palda VA, Garcia-Tsao G, Geisthoff UW, McDonald J, Proctor DD, Spears J, Brown DH, Buscarini E, Chesnutt MS, Cottin V, Ganguly A, Gossage JR, Guttmacher AE, Hyland RH, Kennedy SJ, Korzenik J, Mager JJ, Ozanne AP, Piccirillo JF, Picus D, Plauchu H, Porteous ME, Pyeritz RE, Ross DA, Sabba C, Swanson K, Terry P, Wallace MC, Westermann CJ, White RI, Young LH, Zarrabeitia R; HHT Foundation International – Guidelines Working Group. International guidelines for the diagnosis and management of hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia. J Med Genet. 2011 Feb;48(2):73-87. doi: 10.1136/jmg.2009.069013. Epub 2009 Jun 23. PMID: 19553198.
Shovlin CL, Guttmacher AE, Buscarini E, Faughnan ME, Hyland RH, Westermann CJ, Kjeldsen AD, Plauchu H. Diagnostic criteria for hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome). Am J Med Genet. 2000 Mar 6;91(1):66-7. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1096-8628(20000306)91:1<66::aid-ajmg12>3.0.co;2-p. PMID: 10751092.