- 期刊
The Effect of Decongestive Lymphatic Therapy with Pneumatic Compression for Breast Cancer-related Lymphedema
減腫脹淋巴療法對乳癌相關淋巴水腫之療效
摘要
Background and Purpose: Many investigators measured treatment effectiveness of decongestive lymphatic therapy (DLT) combined with pneumatic compress ion (PC). However, most of them did not use controls. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of this management using the subjects themselves as controls to minimize the influence of spontaneous change with time. Methods: Subjects with unilateral breast cancer-related lymphedema were recruited. Each subject went through a control period, an intervention period and three measure ments. They were treated with DLT combined with 1-hour PC for 2 hours/session, one session/day, 5 sessions weekly for 4 weeks. The outcome measures included demographic and medical information, the severity of swelling, water composition, lymphedema-related symptoms, quality of life and subjects' compliance. One-way repeated measures and Friedman tests were used to examine the differences among three evaluations. Results: There was no significant change in all of the measurements in the control period. Significant reductions in excess water displacement, excess circumference, excess water composition (p＜0.0083) and 5 symptoms after intervention (p＜0.0167). Conclusions: The use of DLT combined with PC in treating patients with lymphedema has shown positive therapeutic responses.
並列摘要
Background and Purpose: Many investigators measured treatment effectiveness of decongestive lymphatic therapy (DLT) combined with pneumatic compress ion (PC). However, most of them did not use controls. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of this management using the subjects themselves as controls to minimize the influence of spontaneous change with time. Methods: Subjects with unilateral breast cancer-related lymphedema were recruited. Each subject went through a control period, an intervention period and three measure ments. They were treated with DLT combined with 1-hour PC for 2 hours/session, one session/day, 5 sessions weekly for 4 weeks. The outcome measures included demographic and medical information, the severity of swelling, water composition, lymphedema-related symptoms, quality of life and subjects' compliance. One-way repeated measures and Friedman tests were used to examine the differences among three evaluations. Results: There was no significant change in all of the measurements in the control period. Significant reductions in excess water displacement, excess circumference, excess water composition (p＜0.0083) and 5 symptoms after intervention (p＜0.0167). Conclusions: The use of DLT combined with PC in treating patients with lymphedema has shown positive therapeutic responses.