Current Management of Extremity Lymphedema

Extremity lymphedema is a common condition resulting from impaired lymphatic transport after oncologic treatment, trauma, infection, or congenital abnormalities. Modern management has evolved from conservative therapy with compression garments to physiologic interventions guided by integrated clinical and functional staging system. Accurate diagnosis includes objective circumferential or volumetric measurement, lymphoscintigraphy and indocyanine green lymphography. Physiologic interventions such as lymphovenous anastomosis and vascularized lymph node flap transfer are effective and selected on the functional severity system. Understanding each treatment's indication of extremity lymphedema allows the health care practitioners to optimize surgical outcomes and improve quality of life without compression garments.