Lymphatic Improvement after Suction-assisted Lipectomy in a Lipedema Patient
Summary:. Lipedema is a chronic and progressive disease that may compromise lymphatic function. Although suction-assisted lipectomy (SAL) is considered a safe treatment for lipedema patients, the lymphatic repercussions of this surgical procedure are not fully understood. There is not enough evidenc...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open |
| Online Access: | http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000005097 |
| _version_ | 1797792018929287168 |
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| author | Carolina de Souza Ribeiro Vitorasso, MD Anna Carolina Borges Silva, MD Bernardo Pinheiro de Senna Nogueira Batista, MD, PhD Fábio Kamamoto, MD, MSc, PhD |
| author_facet | Carolina de Souza Ribeiro Vitorasso, MD Anna Carolina Borges Silva, MD Bernardo Pinheiro de Senna Nogueira Batista, MD, PhD Fábio Kamamoto, MD, MSc, PhD |
| author_sort | Carolina de Souza Ribeiro Vitorasso, MD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary:. Lipedema is a chronic and progressive disease that may compromise lymphatic function. Although suction-assisted lipectomy (SAL) is considered a safe treatment for lipedema patients, the lymphatic repercussions of this surgical procedure are not fully understood. There is not enough evidence to support the role of SAL in lymphatic function treatment in lipedema. Here, we report a case of lymphatic drainage improvement after lipedema treatment with SAL. Tumescent SAL was performed in the deep subcutaneous layer, preserving the superficial and muscular lymphatic vessels. Pre- and postsurgical lymphoscintigraphy was equally documented under the Genoa protocol. A 34-year-old female patient presented with painful enlargement of the arms and lower limbs caused by lipedema. The patient had undergone conservative treatment with mild improvement in pain and heaviness. Lymphoscintigraphy showed slowed radiotracer progression on the left lower limb, collateral and tortuous lymphatic vessels on the right lower limb, and exuberant radiopharmaceutical concentration on the inguinal chain. Nine months after SAL was performed, the patient underwent another lymphoscintigraphy, which exhibited normalized radiopharmaceutical progression time and normal and symmetrical lymphatic vessel patterns. Collateral lymphatic paths and tortuosity vessels were no longer identified. Furthermore, the patient reported significant improvement in pain and the limb’s appearance. Tumescent SAL is not only efficient and safe in treating lipedema, but may also be responsible for improvement in lymphatic drainage in lipedema patients. Additional prospective studies are fundamental to reinforce the current evidence and possibly yield predicting information about the tumescent liposuction eligibility in the improvement of lymphatic drainage. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:27:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-61e4f557b58e47669be20ff03768ab75 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2169-7574 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:27:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-61e4f557b58e47669be20ff03768ab752023-06-30T01:49:19ZengWolters KluwerPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open2169-75742023-06-01116e509710.1097/GOX.0000000000005097202306000-00047Lymphatic Improvement after Suction-assisted Lipectomy in a Lipedema PatientCarolina de Souza Ribeiro Vitorasso, MD0Anna Carolina Borges Silva, MD1Bernardo Pinheiro de Senna Nogueira Batista, MD, PhD2Fábio Kamamoto, MD, MSc, PhD3From the * Plastic Surgery Department, Instituto Lipedema Brasil, Sao Paulo, Brazil† Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hospital São Luiz—Unidade Anália Franco, Sao Paulo, Brazil.From the * Plastic Surgery Department, Instituto Lipedema Brasil, Sao Paulo, BrazilFrom the * Plastic Surgery Department, Instituto Lipedema Brasil, Sao Paulo, BrazilSummary:. Lipedema is a chronic and progressive disease that may compromise lymphatic function. Although suction-assisted lipectomy (SAL) is considered a safe treatment for lipedema patients, the lymphatic repercussions of this surgical procedure are not fully understood. There is not enough evidence to support the role of SAL in lymphatic function treatment in lipedema. Here, we report a case of lymphatic drainage improvement after lipedema treatment with SAL. Tumescent SAL was performed in the deep subcutaneous layer, preserving the superficial and muscular lymphatic vessels. Pre- and postsurgical lymphoscintigraphy was equally documented under the Genoa protocol. A 34-year-old female patient presented with painful enlargement of the arms and lower limbs caused by lipedema. The patient had undergone conservative treatment with mild improvement in pain and heaviness. Lymphoscintigraphy showed slowed radiotracer progression on the left lower limb, collateral and tortuous lymphatic vessels on the right lower limb, and exuberant radiopharmaceutical concentration on the inguinal chain. Nine months after SAL was performed, the patient underwent another lymphoscintigraphy, which exhibited normalized radiopharmaceutical progression time and normal and symmetrical lymphatic vessel patterns. Collateral lymphatic paths and tortuosity vessels were no longer identified. Furthermore, the patient reported significant improvement in pain and the limb’s appearance. Tumescent SAL is not only efficient and safe in treating lipedema, but may also be responsible for improvement in lymphatic drainage in lipedema patients. Additional prospective studies are fundamental to reinforce the current evidence and possibly yield predicting information about the tumescent liposuction eligibility in the improvement of lymphatic drainage.http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000005097 |
| spellingShingle | Carolina de Souza Ribeiro Vitorasso, MD Anna Carolina Borges Silva, MD Bernardo Pinheiro de Senna Nogueira Batista, MD, PhD Fábio Kamamoto, MD, MSc, PhD Lymphatic Improvement after Suction-assisted Lipectomy in a Lipedema Patient Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open |
| title | Lymphatic Improvement after Suction-assisted Lipectomy in a Lipedema Patient |
| title_full | Lymphatic Improvement after Suction-assisted Lipectomy in a Lipedema Patient |
| title_fullStr | Lymphatic Improvement after Suction-assisted Lipectomy in a Lipedema Patient |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lymphatic Improvement after Suction-assisted Lipectomy in a Lipedema Patient |
| title_short | Lymphatic Improvement after Suction-assisted Lipectomy in a Lipedema Patient |
| title_sort | lymphatic improvement after suction assisted lipectomy in a lipedema patient |
| url | http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000005097 |
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