New Treatment Concepts for the Treatment of Secondary Lymphedema

Surgical options generally can be considered in secondary lymphedema patients who are refractory to conservative treatment. Transplantation of artificial pathway would be an alternative treatment if surgical options are not available. Currently, two materials have been reported: first, silicone tube as an artificial passage of lymphatic fluid, second, collagen based scaffolds promoting lymphangiogenesis. Early clinical and experimental results of these alternative treatment strategies were reviewed in this article.