A new technique for measuring skin changes of patients with chronic postmastectomy lymphedema

Objectification of lymphedema progress and the effect of treatment continues to be a problem in patients. Female patients who have had axillary clearance and radiotherapy are at a considerable risk of developing lymphedema at some time of their life. Therefore it is critical to diagnose and treat lymphedema at an early stage before the swelling of the limb becomes significant. This study postulated that the torsional rigidity of the skin of the lymphedematous limb differs from the normal limb and may be used as a diagnostic tool.

A device was designed and constructed that enabled the measurement and comparison of the skin's torsional rigidity. Seventeen females (40-65 years-old) with a history of chronic secondary arm lymphedema were tested. The torsional rigidity of the skin of both normal and lymphedematous arms were measured in the same area at a rotation of 15 degrees. The results indicated that the required power to rotate the normal skin is 46.34 +/- 23.57 percent more than lymphedematous skin of the same subject.

The mechanical properties of skin change due to lymphedema. It is proposed that skin torsional rigidity may be a beneficial tool in the diagnosis of lymphedema.