EDITORIAL

Dear colleagues!

This issue is dedicated to the surgical treatment of connective tissue dysplasia. Connective tissue is the most “omnipresent” tissue of our body. It forms the human skeletal frame as a whole and the architecture of each singular element; it provides mutual mobility of all parts of the body and limits it at the same time; it generates spatial and informational isolation of the organs as well as their unity; it performs a protective function; it divides the physical world into the “outside” and “inside”, and, thus, defines the psychological borders of the personality.

Connective tissue dysplasia is a group of systemic diseases which has more than 250 clinical entities. Most of these diseases are hereditary in nature.The clinical polymorphism of these diseases is very wide: from disorders with minimal functional consequences (e.g., mild joint hypermobility) to life-threatening events (major blood vessels’ bundles /ruptures). Another important feature is their multisystem involvement. The treatment and rehabilitation of patients with dysplasia is a problem for a multidisciplinary team of experts with a good understanding of basic and clinical aspects of this group of diseases.

Despite the prevalence of connective tissue dysplasia, many questions of pathogenesis, genetic causes, clinical diversity, optimal choice of surgical tactics and development of new approaches to its treatment are still far from being fully understood. The main purpose of this issue was to show the diversity and complexity of the surgical procedures that are performed in the treatment of connective tissue dysplasia and to identify some promising areas for further development of surgical therapy for this group of patients.