I also posted in the wrong place! Incredible surgery for lymphedema--report of 1case

Omental transposition relieves lymphedema, even in case which had existed for 5 years. The omentum is a membrane in the abdomen which has been used in the past for peritoneal dialysis (which can be done at home as an alternative to machine-performed dialysis because the omental membrane filters fluids differentially based on osmotic properties.


Surg Today. 2006;36(2):175-9. Links

Omental transposition for lymphedema after a breast cancer resection: report of a case.

Nakajima E, Nakajima R, Tsukamoto S, Koide Y, Yarita T, Kato H.

Department of Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan.

Lymphedema of the arm and hand is one of the major complications after a breast cancer resection. Conservative treatment for the treatment of lymphedema, such as compression garments and centripetal massage, is very important for these cases. However, if the lymphedema is difficult to control with conservative treatment and the patient's quality of life (QOL) is compromised due to swelling of the arms, surgical treatment should be considered. We used omental transposition to improve the status of lymphedema in the present patient whose left arm and hand had been swollen for 5 years, which thus prevented her from being able to lift her arm. After the operation, she was able to lift her left arm herself and perform tasks with her left hand, thereby obtaining a better QOL than before the operation regarding her left arm movement.

PMID: 16440167 [PubMed - in process]

[Lyn]

The bit about no being able to lift the arm with Lymphoedema is very interesting, I didn't realise that it could come to that. I am now wondering if all the radiation to the lymph glands in my right neck has actually caused Lymphoedem to my right arm which I can no longer lift on my own without the support of my left arm the side I had the surgery, MRI showed there was no damage to the B... whatever muscle so it may be connected.. To look at this arm it isn'tr much different to the other around the elbow, I thought it was just fat. This is worth following up, the pain is unbearable but controllable at the moment. We learn something every day on this board.

Love & Hugs Lyn