The use of suction curettage as adjunct to the management of lymphedema

This case report describes the use of suction curettage as an adjunct to the method of skin and subcutaneous tissue excision in the treatment of primary lymphedema. Pretreatment with high-vacuum cannula suction can provide three advantages over straightforward primary excision and closure; (1) larger volumes of skin and subcutaneous tissue can be resected at a single setting; (2) tensionless closure can be obtained without skin flap undermining; and (3) procedural blood loss is minimized.