ABSTRACT
In Memoriam: With deep sadness the world of Lymphology learned of the death of Prof. Prof. h.c. Dr. med. Michael Földi, a ground breaking pioneer of modern Lymphology. Words alone will never fully describe or capture the breadth and depth of Michael's contribution to our lymphatic knowledge and the legacy he has left for us all.
Subject(s)
Lymphatic System/pathology , Lymphedema/history , History, 20th Century , History, 21st Century , HumansABSTRACT
In an attempt to obtain information about the efficacy of arm elevation on the reduction of lymphoedema following mastectomy, a study on 33 patients was carried out in which both the control, contralateral and lymphoedematous arms were elevated for periods of 1 and 5 h. There were statistically significant (p < 0.05) reductions in the volumes of the control and lymphoedematous arms after 1 and 5 h of elevation. After 1 h of elevation, significantly more fluid was removed from the control arm (2.7%) than the lymphoedematous one (1.3%). At 5 h there was no significant difference in the volume of fluid removed from the control arm (3.3%) compared with the lymphoedematous one (3.1%).
Subject(s)
Arm , Lymphedema/rehabilitation , Mastectomy/adverse effects , Posture , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Lymphedema/etiology , Middle AgedABSTRACT
In an attempt to reduce oedema of the arm after mastectomy, patients were provided with an elastic sleeve which was worn for a period of between 1 week and up to 6 months. A statistically significant mean relative decrease of 17% in the volume of oedema was achieved. Subsequent treatment by intermittent pneumatic compression for 10 days produced a further significant mean relative decrease of 18%. When the sleeve was worn for 6 months after this treatment there was no significant increase in arm volume--that is, no relapse.
Subject(s)
Clothing , Lymphedema/rehabilitation , Mastectomy , Physical Therapy Modalities/instrumentation , Adult , Aged , Arm , Combined Modality Therapy , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , PressureSubject(s)
Lymphedema/therapy , Mastectomy/adverse effects , Sympathectomy, Chemical , Aged , Arm , Female , Guanethidine/administration & dosage , Hand , Humans , Lymphedema/etiologyABSTRACT
In 60 right-handed women, significant asymmetry of arm volume has been found, the right arm being, on average, the larger by 1.6 per cent. In 26 ambidextrous and 19 left-handed women the right arm was smaller than the left one by 0.1 and 1.4 per cent respectively. These values differed from zero at low levels of significance. In an early stage of oedema for correcting the error incurred in the estimation of arm volume by asymmetry the regression equation of the form VC = kVM + m is proposed where VC and VM are the volumes of the calculated--oedematous arm in its pre-oedematous state and the unaffected arm, respectively, k and m are constants, which were determined from measurements on samples of the righthanded, ambidextrous and left-handed women. A simplified equation of the form VR = VL + mo where VR and VL are the volumes of the right and left arms, respectively is proposed.
Subject(s)
Arm/anatomy & histology , Edema/pathology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Arm/pathology , Female , Functional Laterality , Humans , Mathematics , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Women undergoing mastectomy for cancer were assigned at random to three groups, each with about 310 patients. In one group, radiotherapy was given before the operation, and in the second group, it was given after the operation. In the third group, no radiotherapy was given. About 160 patients from each group were examined for the degree of edema of the arm, mobility of the shoulder--represented by 5 indices--and gripping force. Except for gripping force, the findings were significantly better for the group not receiving radiotherapy than for the groups given irradiation. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups receiving radiotherapy before or after mastectomy. For all groups, there was significant edema of the arm and a decrease in the mobility of the shoulder compared with that of the control arm, except for the rotations in the group not receiving irradiation.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Edema/etiology , Radiation Injuries/complications , Body Weight , Clinical Trials as Topic , Female , Hand , Humans , Mastectomy , Middle Aged , Shoulder JointABSTRACT
From a group of 928 randomly allocated women that had undergone mastectomy for cancer, 475 were examined with respect to the somatic sensations and discomfort in the arm on the side of the operation. The women rated psychological variables such as sensations and discomfort according to an 8-degree scale. The variables investigated were: heaviness of the arm and hardness of the arm tissue, tension, weakness and paresthesia. Eighty per cent of the women recorded a rating of 0. For most of the variables the means were thus low and corresponded to a rating of less than 1. The standard deviation was fairly large. In the women with a rating of 1 or more there was a weak but significant correlation between some of the psychological and somatic variables, including volume (positive correlation) and gripping force (negative correlation). Women with 15% oedema or more recorded the highest rating for the variables heaviness, hardness, weakness. The sensation and discomfort were rated significantly higher by the patients with than by those without discomfort or pain in the cervical and thoracic spine, chest and shoulder. The ratings were significantly higher by the women receiving radiotherapy than in those receiving only surgical treatment. There was no significant difference between the ratings for the women given radiotherapy before and those so treated after the operation.
Subject(s)
Edema/etiology , Mastectomy/adverse effects , Paresthesia/etiology , Sensation/physiology , Activities of Daily Living , Arm , Disability Evaluation , Female , Humans , Mastectomy/psychology , Muscle ContractionABSTRACT
In an attempt to reduce the oedema developing after mastectomy in 39 breast cancer patients, a number of physiotherapy techniques were applied in various combinations over 6 months. The techniques included massage, isometric exercises and an elastic sleeve. In the first week of the daily treatment a decrease of 11-13% in the volume of oedema was recorded, but in the next 3 weeks the benefit achieved declined sharply. To maintain the reduction in volume of the swollen arm, an elastic sleeve was applied. During the 4 weeks that the sleeve was worn there was no significant increase in volume. There was a correlation between an objective reduction in the volume of the arm and the patient's rating of the improvement.
Subject(s)
Lymphedema/therapy , Mastectomy/rehabilitation , Physical Therapy Modalities/methods , Adolescent , Aged , Breast Neoplasms/surgery , Female , Humans , Middle AgedABSTRACT
The degree of lymphedema of an arm after surgical treatment of breast cancer is usually estimated by the measurement of arm circumference. In this study, the calculation was based on the volume of the arm in order to improve the estimation. The method of measuring the arm volume adopted for these experiments has been tested for precision. Measurements have been made of the decrease of volume due to treatment by lymph pulsator in edematic and healthy arms. A comparison taken between these experiments has allowed for better estimation of the efficiency of lymph pulsator treatment.
