Results of home-based modified combined decongestive therapy in patients with lower extremity lymphedema.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The aim of this study is to present the results of modified combined decongestive therapy (CDT) in patients with lower extremity lymphedema (LEL).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 95 patients aged 55.84 ± 15.70 years who had been diagnosed with LEL between May 2015 and May 2017. The patients were treated for 4 weeks with modified CDT, including self-manual lymphatic drainage, self-bandaging, decongestive exercises, and skin care.

RESULTS

The mean reduction amounts of edema volume before and after treatment were 296.05, 784.92, and 1038.50 mL for stages 1, 2, and 3 respectively (P = 0.001). There were significant differences between the values before and after treatment in excess extremity volume (EEV) at all stages (P = 0.001). The EEV percentages of the secondary LEL patients were higher than those of the primary LEL patients (P = 0.04). There was no correlation between BMI and treatment response in terms of EEV percentages (r = –0.99; P = 0.36).

CONCLUSION

Our results revealed that home-based modified CDT is more effective in reducing extremity edema volume in secondary LEL than primary LEL. It should be an available method for self-management of LEL at all stages.