Our team is composed by highly educated and experienced people who have trained for years in treating lymphedema patients in all aspects of the disease.
What defines us is the fact that we are able to provide lymphedema patients a full treatment of conservative and surgical methods.
Under the guidance of our Plastic Surgeon Dr. Dimitris Dionysiou who is responsible for performing the demanding surgical procedures necessary for permanent treatment of the patient, our team brings a highly experienced physiotherapist responsible for before and after surgery rehabilitation exercises and also a dietitian to offer valuable guidance to the patient in order to achive maximum results.
Plastic Surgery
Dr. Dimitris Dionysiou
Dimitris Dionyssiou graduated from the University of Alexandroupolis Medical School in 1996. He specialized as Plastic Surgeon in the Department of Plastic Surgery of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and at hospitals in Great Britain. He was awarded as a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in 2007.
Upon being awarded his specialty, he had trained and subspecialized, for almost 2 years, as Microsurgeon at the Queen Victoria Hospital in Great Britain. Afterwards, in 2010 Dr Dionysiou visited and trained in Lymphatic microsurgery and mainly Lymph Node Transfer at the Clinique Jouvenet in Paris, by the pioneer of the lymphedema surgery, Dr. Corinne Becker.
Within the framework of his continuing scientific training, he has attended numerous educational seminars and conferences, both in Greece and abroad, where he presented a significant number of scientific papers, and also edited and authored in many medical books and chapters related to microsurgery and lymphedema.
Dr. Dionysiou is a faculty member of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School since 2012, and currently holds the position of Assistant Professor in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. In 2015 he received the postgraduate title: “Postgraduate training in lymphatic diseases for medical doctors” from the European School of Lymphatic Diseases.
From 2017-2018 he was serving as a Visiting Professor at Stanford University, USA, while since 2017 he is a leading consultant of the medical company Fibralign Corporation (California, USA) specializing in the field of regenerative medicine.
He is a member of many scientific societies, and since 2015 he is an active member of the European Association of Plastic Surgeons (EURAPS). In recent years he has been elected as Board Member of the Greek Lymphogy Society and of the Hellenic Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery.
His private clinic for lymphedema treatment is based in Thessaloniki, Greece.
Plastic Surgery
Prof. Efterpi Demiri
Efterpi Demiri graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School in 1988 with distinction. In 1994, she was awarded a Ph.D. from the AUTH Medical School. In 1996, following examinations, she was named Specialist Plastic Surgeon, as well as, Fellow of the European Board of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery.
Upon being awarded her specialty, she continued training in major Plastic Surgery centers in France and Great Britain, where she, specifically, specialized in reconstructive microsurgery, breast reconstruction and surgery of the hand. She currently holds the position of Professor in Plastic Surgery at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Medical School.
In 2015 she undertook the postgraduate title: “Postgraduate training in lymphatic diseases for medical doctors” from the European School of Lymphatic Diseases.
She is member of numerous scientific societies and since 2005 she has been an active member of the European Association of Plastic Surgeons (EURAPS). She has attended many educational seminars and conferences, both in Greece and abroad, where she presented a large number of scientific papers. She has co-authored books and published numerous scientific papers in Greek and international magazines. She has been member of the Administrative Board of Scientific Societies and Academic Committees relevant to medical education and Plastic Surgery.
Nutrition & Diet
Valentina Dermitzaki
Valentina Dermitzaki is a Dietitian – Nutrition Expert and Consultant of Nutritional Behavior.
She graduated from the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition in 2002. Since then, she runs her dietitian office in the centre of Thessaloniki.
She was a scientific associate of Ippocrateion General Hospital of Thessaloniki, 2nd pathological clinic, for older people nutrition disorders from 2004 to 2006.
Between 2007 – 2012, she worked as a scientific associate in the neurological clinic of “Papageorgiou” General Hospital, specialized on patients receiving anticoagulant medication, patients with vascular strokes, with multiple sclerosis and with other nutritional issues occurring in clinic.
After being trained, she has basic skills of counseling psychology (level 5 BTEC Professional Certificate), on the psychological support of patients and people following a nutrition program.
She is a member of the Greek Union of Dietitians and nutritionists, of the Hellenic Society for Medical Nutrition (GrESPEN) and of the European Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN).
Since 2011, she cooperates and participates in the team of the Lymphedema cure centre.
For more information on issues concerning nutrition, visit the nutrition expert’s site:
Physiotehrapy
Physiotherapy is essential to be performed daily for 2-3 weeks after the lymph node transfer and must be done by a specialized therapist team.
It is actually a lymphatic drainage and not a classic massage, with maneuvers that are “pushing” the extracellular liquid through the lymphatic vessels into the transplanted lymph nodes. Within a short period of a few weeks the lymphatic system “is educated” to transfer the excess fluid of the limb at the new lymphatic vessels.
We have created a network of the best lymphedema physiotherapists’ collaborators in main major centers in Greece, as well as in Europe, United States, Russia and Caribbean.