Micro-lymphatic Surgery for Lymphedema
By Denise Hardy, BSc., RN, Clinical Nurse Specialist - Kendal Lymphology Centre. Nurse Advisor to the Lymphoedema Support Network, Vodder-certified therapist, England, UK
“The ideal surgical
treatment of
lymphedema would
be to return the
swollen limb to its
normal size with
minimal scarring and
a near perfect
cosmetic result.”
Searching for a ‘cure’ for lymphedema is foremost
in the minds of many patients – preferable to the consuming daily management program inflicted upon them.
However, although present conservative treatment
options are not ideal – they are on the whole, deemed
preferable to the often unsightly limbs that many
health care practitioners have seen as a result of
surgical intervention. Figure 1 – illustrates a
‘Homan’s’ operation (a de-bulking procedure) that
failed to heal; the patient subsequently required
amputation.
Other such procedures, which can result
in extensive scarring, often help reduce a...Read On
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