Puleo CA, Luh M.
Management of Extremity Lymphedema.
Cancer Control 1995 Oct;2(5):424-428

Cutaneous Oncology Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute,
Tampa, Florida 33612, USA.

Chronic lymphedema is almost always a permanent and often progressive condition.
In most cases, neither medical nor surgical means can completely relieve the effects
of lymphedema. Surgical management of chronic lymphedema has high morbidity and a
success rate of only 30%, and many patients return to their presurgical limb girth
within three to four years. Nonsurgical treatment of chronic lymphedema can
decrease overall lymphatic edema. Sequential gradient compression systems, which
compensate for impaired lymphatic flow, return protein-rich lymphatic fluid from
the extracellular regions of the tissues back into the circulatory system where
the fluid can be excreted.