Effect of Postoperative Compression Therapy on the Success of Liposuction in Patients with Advanced Lower Limb Lymphedema

Abstract

Objective: There is limited information on postoperative care after liposuction for lymphedema limb. The aim of this retrospective study was to identify the threshold compression pressure and other factors that lead liposuction for lower limb lymphedema to success. Materials and Methods: Patients were divided according to whether they underwent compression therapy with both stockings and bandaging (SB group), stockings alone (S group), or bandaging alone (B group) for 6 months after liposuction. The postoperative compression pressure and rate of improvement were compared according to the postoperative compression method. We also investigated whether it was possible to decrease the compression pressure after 6 months. Liposuction was considered successful if improvement rate was >15. Results: Mean compression pressure was significantly lower in the S group than in the SB group or B group. The liposuction success rate was significantly higher in the SB group than in the B group or S group. There was not a significant difference between the values at 6 months after liposuction and at 6 months after a decrease in compression pressure in the successful group. Conclusion: Our results suggest that stable high-pressure postoperative compression therapy is key to the success of liposuction for lower limb lymphedema and is best achieved by using both stockings and bandages. The postoperative compression pressure required for liposuction to be successful was >40 mmHg on the lower leg and >20 mmHg on the thigh. These pressures could be decreased after 6 months.

May-Thurner Syndrome and Lymphedema Reconstruction

“…Liposuction is one of the most common procedures for debulking in patients who have chronic lymphedema characterized by lymphatic stasis and fibroadipose soft tissue deposition. 35 Studies have shown that liposuction is an effective technique for chronic lymphedema when adipose tissue is primarily responsible for patient swelling. 19 In addition, it has been found that liposuction of lymphedema improves both physical and mental health in patients.…”

Correlation between Lymphatic Surgery Outcome and Lymphatic Image-Staging or Clinical Severity in Patients with Lymphedema

“…The recipient vessel was a perforator of the posterior tibial artery, which was detected preoperatively using ultrasonography; a concomitant or subcutaneous vein was used for drainage [ 13 ]. Extensive liposuction was performed while sparing the LVA or VLT sites in order to avoid injury [ 14 ]. Circumferential liposuction was performed from the ankle to the hip, and as much of the hypertrophied fat as possible was removed, using the circumferences measured in the healthy limb as reference values.…”

A Novel Dressing Composed of Adipose Stem Cells and Decellularized Wharton’s Jelly Facilitated Wound Healing and Relieved Lymphedema by Enhancing Angiogenesis and Lymphangiogenesis in a Rat Model

“…Surgical treatments are divided two categories: excision and physiological restoration. Excision procedures encompass debulking, suction-assisted lipectomy or direct excisional procedures for pathological tissues [ 13 ]. The physiological restoration of lymph fluid return includes lymph duct transplantation, lymph-venous bypass or lymph node transplantation [ 14 ].…”