Manual lymphatic drainage and multilayer compression therapy for vulvar edema: a case series

Vulvar edema is a condition rarely reported and without defined treatment that may result in functional limitation. The aim of the report is to describe a case series of patients with disabling vulvar edema of different etiologies that were treated with manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) and multilayer compression therapy (MCT).

Four cases of vulvar edema are described: one in a woman with cervical cancer; one in a woman in the postoperative period of bilateral adrenalectomy for pheocromocytoma; and two in pregnant women with preeclampsia. All cases were treated with MLD and MCT during hospitalization.

Total resolution of the edema occurred in 2 to 5 d of treatment.

The present case series is the first to report the use of the MLD and MCT in the successful management of female genital edema. This report suggests that the vulvar edemas for these four patients treated with MLD and MCT seem to resolve faster than expected based on previously reported untreated edemas or edemas treated with different therapeutic approaches.