Post-traumatic lymphedema: review of the literature and surgical treatment options

Post-traumatic lymphedema (PTL) is a complex, debilitating, and potentially common disease which has received limited attention to date. The available literature is reviewed to identify injury patterns and critical lymphatic areas associated with the disease. A deeper understanding of these critical anatomic regions allows the reconstructive surgeon to potentially identify PTL patients earlier in order to apply surgical and nonsurgical interventions in the acute phase, improving lymphatic physiology and, ultimately, patient outcomes. Current diagnostic and treatment approaches are discussed in detail, with a focus on lymphatic microsurgical techniques developed and applied to PTL within the last decade.