Table I.
Patient characteristics
| GE-VLNT | LTW-VLNT | SI-VLNT | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients | 49 | 16 | 5 | NA |
| Extremities operated | 61 (74) | 16 (20) | 5 (6) | NA |
| Age, years | 41 ± 17 | 55 ± 10 | 58 ± 11 | .003 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 26 ± 5 | 27 ± 5 | 26 ± 5 | .9 |
| Lymphedema stage (operated extremity)a | .08 | |||
| I | 14 (23) | 1 (6) | 0 (0) | |
| II | 42 (69) | 10 (63) | 4 (80) | |
| III | 5 (8) | 5 (31) | 1 (20) | |
| Duration until surgery, years | 11.71 ± 10.79 | 11 ± 9 | 6 ± 4 | .49 |
| Cause of lymphedema | .008 | |||
| Primary | 28 (57) | 4 (25) | 0 (0) | |
| Secondary | 21 (43) | 12 (75) | 5 (100) | |
| Affected anatomical region | NA | |||
| Lower extremity | 37 (76) | 16 (100) | 0 (0) | |
| Upper extremity | 10 (20) | 0 (0) | 5 (100) | |
| Lower extremity and genitals | 2 (4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | |
| Laterality of disease | .33 | |||
| Unilateral | 34 (69) | 12 (75) | 5 (100) | |
| Bilateral | 15 (31) | 4 (25) | 0 (0) | |
| Recurrent erysipelas | 18 (30) | 5 (31) | 1 (20) | .88 |
| Concomitant diseasea | ||||
| None | 29 (59) | 12 (75) | 3 (60) | .52 |
| Vascular, hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease | 9 (18) | 2 (13) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Venous disease (venous insufficiency, thrombosis, varicose veins) | 3 (6) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Metabolic (adipositas, thyroid, metabolic syndrome) | 8 (16) | 2 (13) | 2 (40) | NA |
| Inflammatory disease | 1 (2) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Arthritis/osteoporosis | 2 (4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Pulmonary, asthma | 4 (8) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
| Other syndromes | 2 (4) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | NA |
BMI, Body mass index; GE, gastroepiploic; LTW, lateral thoracic wall; NA, not avaiable; SI, superficial inguinal region; VLNT, vascularized lymph node transfer.
Values are mean ± standard deviation or number (%).
a
More than one value is possible for every patient or extremity operated.