Table 3.
Functional and emotional impact of lymphedema before and after liposuction
| Preoperative | 6 months | Effect at 6-month follow-up | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (range) | Mean (range) | N | t | p value | |
| PSFS functional impairmenta | |||||
| Upper limb | 11.1 (4–21) | 22.1 (9–30) | 7 | 3.86 | 0.008 |
| Lower limb | 7.4 (4–9) | 28.0 (27–29) | 5 | 23.6 | <0.001 |
| Painb | |||||
| Upper limb | 3.9 (0–8) | 0.8 (0–3) | 9 | 3.60 | 0.007 |
| Lower limb | 3.7 (0–8) | 0.2 (0–1) | 5 | 2.50 | 0.07 |
| Heavinessb | |||||
| Upper limb | 6.7 (3–10) | 0.3 (0–2) | 9 | 9.71 | <0.001 |
| Lower limb | 8.2 (6–10) | 0.4 (0–2) | 5 | 7.65 | 0.002 |
| Self-consciousnessb | |||||
| Upper limb | 6.9 (2–10) | 0.6 (0–3) | 9 | 5.94 | <0.001 |
| Lower limb | 8.2 (4–10) | 0 | 5 | 24.59 | <0.001 |
| Anxiousb | |||||
| Upper limb | 5.1 (0–10) | 0.2 (0–2) | 9 | 3.31 | 0.11 |
| Lower limb | 7.2 (5–10) | 0 | 5 | 9.36 | <0.001 |
| Swollenb | |||||
| Upper limb | 6.9 (2–10) | 1.8 (0–4) | 9 | 5.49 | <0.001 |
| Lower limb | 9.0 (8–10) | 1.6 (0–2) | 5 | 9.89 | <0.001 |
| Impact on emotionsb | |||||
| Upper limb | 6.0 (0–10) | 1.0 (0–4) | 9 | 4.07 | 0.004 |
| Lower limb | 7.8 (2–10) | 0.6 (0–3) | 5 | 12.37 | <0.001 |
Significance assessed using paired samples t tests compared with preoperative value
PSFS Patient-Specific Functional Scale32
aScores ranged from ‘0’ (not able to perform three activities at all) to ‘30’ (able to perform three activities perfectly)
bScores ranged from ‘0’ (not at all) to ‘10’ (extremely so)