Efficacy of vascularized lymph node transfer for lower extremity lymphedema: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 395 patients from 24 peer-reviewed studies

Pushti Shah; Bruno T. Pillari; Nicole Margiotta; Nitya Devisetti; Alex K Wong

doi:10.1016/j.bjps.2026.03.005

March 1, 2026Journal of Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic SurgeryOpen Access

Efficacy of vascularized lymph node transfer for lower extremity lymphedema: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 395 patients from 24 peer-reviewed studies

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Key Points

This review evaluates the effectiveness of vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) for treating lower extremity lymphedema (LEL).
Conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis as per PRISMA guidelines.
Searched databases like PubMed, Scopus, and CENTRAL until February 2026.
Included studies focused on VLNT for lower limbs and excluded combined techniques.
Analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-square, and meta-analyses.
Evaluated outcomes including circumference reduction rate (CRR) and limb volume.
Twenty-four studies were included with 395 patients (70.28% female).
Average CRR for above and below knee was 24.79% and 29.50%, respectively, particularly high with gastroepiploic flaps.
Limb volume reduced by 25.32% post-surgery.
Significantly fewer cellulitis cases were observed after VLNT (p<0.001).
Adverse events recorded were low at 12.22%.

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Implication

A systematic review analyzes the effectiveness of vascularized lymph node transfer in patients with lower extremity lymphedema, suggesting improved outcomes with specific donor sites.

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Shah et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69b256fe96eeacc4fcec5b90 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjps.2026.03.005

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Efficacy of vascularized lymph node transfer for lower extremity lymphedema: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 395 patients from 24 peer-reviewed studies

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Cite This Study

Efficacy of vascularized lymph node transfer for lower extremity lymphedema: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 395 patients from 24 peer-reviewed studies

Key Points

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Implication

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Cite This Study

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