Complete Decongestive Therapy Versus Compression Bandaging in Advanced Secondary Lymphedema

Ahmed Mohamed Abdelrauf

Status: Completed

Conditions: Edema Due to Obstruction of Lymph Vessels or Excision of Lymph Nodes

Treatments: Other: Physiotherapy Treatment

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04749342

P.T.REC/012/002271

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to:

Find out the efficacy of using complete decongestive physiotherapy on limb volume in advanced secondary upper and lower extremity lymphedema patients.

Find out the efficacy of compression bandaging on limb volume in advanced lymphedema patients.

This study was conducted to compare between the efficacy of complete decongestive therapy (CDT) and compression bandaging in advanced secondary lower extremity lymphedema.

Full description

The study was conducted at the department of plastic surgery, Kasr Al-Ainy hospital. Sixty patients of both genders aged from 40 to 55 years old were participated in this study, and they were randomly assigned to two study groups.

Group I: Thirty patients received CDT (60 min of manual lymph drainage MLD, compression bandaging, exercises, and skin care).

Group II: Thirty patients received compression bandaging alone. The same bandaging scheme used for both groups. The therapy included 12 interventions performed 5 days a week, during the first two weeks in addition to another successive two sessions at the third week, i.e., for a total of twelve sessions.

Evaluation of limb volume using water volumetry and 4-cm truncated cone circumferential measurements were done before treatment application, after 6 sessions (post 1) and after 12 sessions (post 2).

Enrollment: 60 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 40 to 55 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patients with lower limb lymphedema (stage II and III) secondary lymphedema aged from 40 to 55 years old, with BMI less than 35 and duration of illness ranged from 3-9 years were included in the study

Exclusion criteria

the patients were excluded if they have acute erysipelas, acute thrombophlebitis phlebothrombosis and decompensated heart failure.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

60 participants in 2 patient groups

Complete Decongestive Therapy

Experimental group

Description:

Complete decongestive therapy (CDT) is also known as complex decongestive therapy. It involves a two-stage treatment protocol. The first stage consists of skin care, manual lymph drainage, exercises and compression with multi-layered bandages. The second stage aims to optimize and conserve the volume reduction obtained in stage one. This is achieved by using a low-stretch elastic garment in combination with skin care and exercises

Treatment:

Other: Physiotherapy Treatment

Compression Bandaging

Experimental group

Description:

External compression is the mainstay of management for all stages of lymphedema. The efficacy of compression therapy alone, or combined with MLD, has been supported by randomized clinical trials

Treatment:

Other: Physiotherapy Treatment