Definition |
Circumferential Difference |
1.0 – 3.0 cm |
Tsai 2009 [46], Wernicke 2011 [48] |
|
Volume Difference |
200 ml |
Boccardo 2009 [16], Tsai 2009 [46] |
|
Percent Difference |
3 – 20% |
Armer 2009 [7], Tsai 2009 [46], Stout Gergich 2008 [49] |
|
Self-Report |
|
Armer 2010 [6], Norman 2009 [62] |
Measurement |
Tape Measurement |
Arm circumference |
Deltombe 2007 [10], Jain 2010 [53] |
|
Water Displacement |
Volume |
Deltombe 2007 [10], Tewari 2008 [54], Smoot 2011 [55], Fu 2009 [56], Ridner 2007 [57] |
|
Bioimpedance Spectroscopy |
Impedance value |
Smoot 2011 [55], Ward 2011 [58], Ridner 2009 [59] |
|
Perometry |
Volume |
Jain 2010 [53], Stanton 1997 [60], Petlund 1991 [61] |
|
Self-Report |
|
McLaughlin 2008 [4], Norman 2009 [62], Czerniec 2010 [63] |
Quantification |
Absolute Volume Difference |
ml or cm difference |
McLaughlin 2008 [4], Ashikaga 2010 [5], Tsai 2009 [46], Wernicke 2011 [48] |
|
Relative Volume Difference |
Percent difference between arms |
Ancukiewicz 2012 [64] |
|
Relative Volume Change (RVC) |
Percent change between arms as compared to baseline |
Ancukiewicz 2012 [64], Ancukiewicz 2011 [65] |
Timing |
Pre-operative Arm Volume Measurements |
Accounts for any normal asymmetry between arms |
Armer 2010 [6], Stout Gergich 2008 [49], Ancukiewicz 2011 [65], Harris 2001 [66], NLN Position Paper 2011 [67] |
|
Continuous Post-operative Screening |
Prospective surveillance may allow for early detection and treatment, but has not been fully evaluated for its application, cost and outcome |
NLN Position Paper 2012 [79], Cheville 2012 [80], Stout 2011 [81] |
Management |
Complex Decongestive Therapy (CDT) |
Recommended and considered effective; lacks Level 1 evidence to support its use; further study needed to determine efficacy as stand-alone treatment |
Vignes 2011 [70], Forner-Cordero 2009 [71], Lasinski 2012 [72] |
|
Manual Lymphatic Drainage |
No signficant impact on edema development when compared to exercise and precautionary advice |
Devoogdt 2011 [73] |
|
Compression Sleeve without CDT |
Assessed in a small cohort study without randomization; further study needed |
Stout Gergich 2008 [49], Partsch 2010 [74] |
|
Pneumatic Compression |
No robust evidence about long-term outcomes |
Fife 2012 [75], Wilburn 2006 [76] |
|
Low-Level Laser Treatment |
Lacks data to support its use |
Omar 2012 [77] |