[A survey of the French-speaking Association of Lymphology on the use of pressotherapy in France during the treatment of lymphedema]

Abstract

116 physicians out of the 1000 who were questioned use pressure-therapy in the treatment of lymphedema of the extremities. Another 170 are interested in the technique and await this report before possibly adopting it. Overall, the devices utilized are compartmented and use discontinued pressure that is asynchronous in relations to heart beat; each session lasts 30 minutes, on average, with compression and resting phases lasting 45 seconds and 15 seconds, respectively. The usual schedule is one session daily, three days per week, in two series clustered within a single year. Although manual drainage of lymphatics is combined with pressure-therapy in 71.55% of the times, only 43.47% of physicians use elastic support following the treatment. Results are good or very good in 64.4% of cases, and the incidence of post-therapeutic events is rather low (polyuria, pain recrudescence of lymphangitis, etc.). Aside from lymphedema, venous insufficiency, hypodermitis and leg ulcers may also benefit from pressure-therapy.