The diagnosis and treatment of peripheral lymphedema. Consensus document of the International Society of Lymphology

Abstract

This International Society of Lymphology (ISL) Consensus Document is the current revision of the 1995 Document for the evaluation and management of peripheral lymphedema. It is based upon modifications suggested and published following the 1997 XVI International Congress of Lymphology (ICL) in Madrid, Spain, discussed at the 1999 XVII ICL in Chennai, India, considered at the 2000 (ISL) Executive Committee meeting in Hinterzarten, Germany, and derived from integration of discussions and written comments obtained during and following the 2001 XVIII ICL in Genoa, Italy as modified at the 2003 ISL Executive Committee meeting in Cordoba, Argentina. The document attempts to amalgamate the broad spectrum of protocols advocated worldwide for the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral lymphedema into a coordinated proclamation representing a "Consensus" of the international community. The document is not meant to override individual clinical considerations for problematic patients nor to stifle progress. It is also not meant to be a legal formulation from which variations define medical malpractice. The Society understands that in some clinics the method of treatment derives from national standards while in others access to medical equipment and supplies is limited and therefore the suggested treatments are impractical. We continue to struggle to keep the document concise while balancing the need for depth and details. With these considerations in mind, we believe that this version of the Consensus represents the best judgment of the ISL membership on how to approach patients with peripheral lymphedema as of 2003. We anticipate that the document will and should be challenged, debated in the pages of Lymphology (e.g., as Letters to the Editor), and ideally become a continued focal point for robust discussion at local, national and international conferences in lymphology and related disciplines. We further anticipate as experience evolves and new ideas and technologies emerge that this "living document" will undergo periodic revision and refinement.