Long-term Outcome After Surgical Treatment of Lipedema.

Source

From the *Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA; †Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; and ‡Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.

Abstract

Lipedema is a condition characterized by abnormal deposition of adipose tissue in the lower extremities leading to circumferential bilateral lower extremity enlargement typically seen extending from the hips to the ankles. Diagnosis of the condition is often challenging, and patients frequently undergo a variety of unsuccessful therapies before receiving the proper diagnosis and appropriate management. Patients may experience pain and aching in the lower extremity in addition to distress from the cosmetic appearance of their legs and the resistance of the fatty changes to diet and exercise. We report a case of a patient with lipedema who was treated with suction-assisted lipectomy and use of compression garments, with successful treatment of the lipodystrophy and maintenance of improved aesthetic results at 4-year postoperative follow-up.   Annals of Plastic Surgery

*Editors Note:  This is for information only.  I personally do not recommend this type of treatment and am not convinced that it is in the long term safe and effective.  The Thompson's procedure I had done on my left leg in the early 70's was also supposed to be the "end-all" surgery for lymphedema.  I have always regreted that I allowed it to be done after experiencing all the complications in the leg, including mixed b-cell lymphoma. Pat