Table 5.
QOL in VLNT using validated tools.
| Study | Year Published | Number of Patients | Stage | Lymphedema Site | Primary vs. Secondary | Surgical Procedure | Donor Site (Lymph Node Transplant) | Baseline QOL Measure Administered Pre-Operatively? | Average Follow-Up Time Regarding Subjective Assessment | QoL Measure | Percent of Patients with Subjective Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patel et al. | 2015 | 25 | Scale specific to this paper, I (1), II (6), III (13), IV (5) | UE (15), LE (10) | Secondary (23), Primary (2) | VLNT | Groin or submental | Yes | 12 mo | LYMQOL | Individual patient data not reported |
| De Brucker et al. | 2016 | 25 | Stage 1 and 2 (classification system and number of patients per stage not mentioned) | UE | Secondary | VLNT | Groin | No | 29 mo | ULL27 | 84% |
| Ciudad et al. | 2017 | 10 | ISL stage II (2), ISL stage III (8) | UE (5), LE (5) | Secondary | VLNT | Right gastroepiploic lymph node flap | Yes | 14.7 mo | LYMQOL | Individual patient data not reported |
| Gratzon et al. | 2017 | 24 | Not mentioned | UE | Secondary | VLNT | Groin, lateral thoracic, supraclavicular | Yes | 12 mo | LYMQOL and study specific pain scale and heaviness scale with standard 1-10 rating | Individual patient data not reported |
| Inbal et al. | 2017 | 11 | ISL stage 1 (4), 2 (7) | UE (8), LE (3) | Secondary | VLNT (64% also having LVB) | Thoracic on muscle sparing latissimus dorsi flap | Yes | 6.7 mo | LLIS | 91% |
| Cheng et al. | 2018 | 19 | Not mentioned | LE (19) | Primary (19) | VLNT (15), LVB (4) | Submental | Yes | 12 mo | LYMQOL | Individual patient data not reported |
| Asuncion et al. | 2018 | 15 | Not mentioned | LE (10), UE (4), both LE/UE (1) | Not mentioned | VLNT | Submental | Yes | 12 mo | LYMQOL | Individual pre-operative patient data not reported |
| Ciudad et al. | 2019 | 16 | ISL stage III (16) | UE (6), LE (10) | Secondary (15), Primary (1) | VLNT (with debulking) | Gastroepiploic | Yes | 12 mo | LYMQOL | Individual patient data not reported |
| Maruccia et al. | 2019 | 39 | Not mentioned | UE | Secondary | VLNT (18 also with axillary scar release and fat grafting) | Groin (20), Gastroepiploic (19) | Yes | 12 mo | LYMQOL | Individual patient data not reported |
| Visconti et al. | 2019 | 10 | ISL 2b (10) | LE | Secondary | VLNT | Supraclavicular | Yes | 12 mo | LYMQOL | 100% |
ISL, international society of lymphology; UE, upper extremity; LE, lower extremity; LVB, lymphovenous bypass; VLNT, vascularized lymph node transplant; mo, months.