The ICC Compression Questionnaire: A Comprehensive Tool to Evaluate Compression Materials or Devices Applied in Subjects with Lymphedema or Chronic Venous Disease

Background: Compression therapy is an important part of the treatment of patients with lymphedema or chronic venous disease. However, there is no validated questionnaire evaluating the effect of compression and its acceptance by the patient. Therefore, the aims of this study were to construct a questionnaire evaluating the effect of compression and its acceptance by the patient, that is, the Dutch ICC Compression Questionnaire (ICC-CQ), to investigate its reliability and validity, and to translate it into English. Methods and Results: Eleven experts in applying compression and 51 Dutch patients with experience of using compression were involved in the construction process. One part of the ICC-CQ has to be completed by the patient and evaluates seven domains. The other part has to be completed by the health care provider and comprises three domains. Reliability and validity of the final version was investigated in a new group of 79 Dutch-speaking patients with lymphedema or chronic venous disease, wearing compression garments (N = 52) or bandages (N = 27). Except for one domain, the Intraclass Correlation Coefficients for test-rest/interrater reliability ranged from 0.55 to 0.93. Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency ranged from 0.71 to 0.97. Eighty-nine percent of the patients fully understood the questionnaire indicating good face validity, and 87% found it complete indicating good content validity. Construct validity was considered good since 10 out of 11 hypotheses were accepted. Conclusion: The ICC-CQ is the first reliable and valid questionnaire evaluating different kinds of compression and the experience by patients with lymphedema or chronic venous disease

Jean-Paul Belgrado, Chris Monten, Marianne Hanssens, Tessa De Vrieze - The effectiveness of fluoroscopy-guided manual lymph drainage (compared to traditional or placebo lymph drainage) as parts of the decongestive lymphatic therapy on the superficial lymphatic architecture in patients with breast cancer-related lymphoedema

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The effectiveness of fluoroscopy-guided manual lymph drainage as part of decongestive lymphatic therapy on the superficial lymphatic architecture in patients with breast cancer-related lymphoedema : a randomised controlled trial

The objective of this trial was to investigate the effectiveness of fluoroscopy-guided manual lymph drainage (MLD), as part of decongestive lymphatic therapy (DLT), on the superficial lymphatic architecture in patients with chronic mild to moderate breast cancer-related lymphoedema (BCRL). This trial was a multicentre, double-blind, randomised controlled trial involving 194 participants with BCRL. Participants were randomised into (1) DLT with fluoroscopy-guided MLD (intervention group), (2) DLT with traditional MLD (control group), or (3) DLT with placebo MLD (placebo group). Superficial lymphatic architecture was evaluated as a secondary outcome, visualised by ICG lymphofluoroscopy at the baseline (B0), post-intensive (P), and post-maintenance phases (P6). Variables were (1) number of efferent superficial lymphatic vessels leaving the dermal backflow region, (2) total dermal backflow score, and (3) number of superficial lymph nodes. The traditional MLD group showed a significant decrease in the number of efferent superficial lymphatic vessels at P (p = 0.026), and of the total dermal backflow score at P6 (p = 0.042). The fluoroscopy-guided MLD and placebo group showed significant decreases in the total dermal backflow score at P (p < 0.001 and p = 0.044, respectively) and at P6 (p < 0.001 and p = 0.007, respectively); the placebo MLD group showed a significant decrease in the total number of lymph nodes at P (p = 0.008). However, there were no significant between-group differences for the changes in these variables. In conclusion, based on lymphatic architecture outcomes, the added value of MLD, in addition to the other parts of DLT, could not be demonstrated in patients with chronic mild to moderate BCRL.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Does Manual Lymphatic Drainage Add Value in Reducing Arm Volume in Patients With Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of fluoroscopy-guided manual lymph drainage (MLD) versus that of traditional and placebo MLD, when added to decongestive lymphatic therapy (DLT) for the treatment of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL), on the suprafascial accumulation of lymphatic fluid and skin elasticity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe