EFFICIENCY OF TREATMENT OF LYMPHEDEMA OF THE UPPER LIMB BY MULTICOMPARTMENT SEQUENTIAL PNEUMATIC COMPRESSION THERAPY

Translated from the original, Rehabilitacion (Madr) 1998:32:234-250.

AUTHORS
Miguel Angel Gonzalez Viejo (*), M? Jesus Condon Huerta (**), Margarita Lecuona Navea (***), T. Etulain Marticorena (****), M?.A. Ruiz Arzoz (****), M. Arenas Paos (****).

* Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol. Badalona
** Hospital Virgen del Camino. Pamplona
*** Hospital Ntra. Sra. de Aranzazu. San Sebastian
**** Physical Therapist

Correspondence:
Miguel Angel Gonzalez Viejo. Servicio de Rehabilitacion. Hospital Universitario Germans Trias i Pujol. Carretera Canyet sn. Apartado correos 72. 08916 Badalona. Spain.

ABSTRACT

The study comprised a total of 14 patients, including 13 women and one man, affected by lymphedema of upper limb.

In thirteen cases the lymphedema was secondary to breast cancer. Eight cases were treated by modified Madden radical mastectomy and ganglionic axillary drainage. One case was treated by tumorectomy and radiotherapy, two by quandrantectomy and radiotherapy, one by Halsted radical mastectomy, and one by radiotherapy. Lastly, the only case that was not due to breast cancer involved a lymphedema secondary to an axillary lymphadenectomy owing to ganglionic metastasis of an undifferentiated malignant tumor, whose primary tumor could not be located.

We determined the efficiency of the multicompartment sequential pneumatic compression therapy during two weeks of treatment, in ten sessions of one hour each, by determining the volume in cubic centimeters (cc) of the healthy and affected limbs according to the measurement of the girth, in centimeters, at seven levels along the limbs.

The average volumes showed statistically significant differences on the first day, before and after treatment (p=0.007) and the fourth day (p=0.001), but not on the sixth or the eighth days. However, we did find significant differences between the volumes on the first day before treatment and the last day after treatment (p=0.007).

We consider that multicompartment sequential pneumatic compression therapy has a place in the treatment of lymphedema of the upper limb, which was the subject of our study, always in combination with other physical therapy techniques, such as manual lymphatic drainage.

KEY WORDS: LYMPHEDEMA, COMPRESSION THERAPY.