Project Details
Description
Lipedema is often misdiagnosed as lymphedema or obesity and the absence of diagnostic clarity causes incorrect treatment prescription resulting in wasted time and money. This may cause significant distress for women living with a condition that is poorly understood and poorly managed. There are no objective diagnostic criteria, laboratory tests or medical imaging which provide a clear diagnosis for lipedema. Therefore, accessible and reliable clinical assessments to assist with differential diagnosis of lipedema are vital to improve quality of life for women with this condition.
Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) is used to monitor fluid changes in individuals who are at risk of or living with lymphedema. By measuring extracellular fluid, BIS detects subclinical and clinical lymphedema. BIS has also become popular as a safe, convenient, and non-invasive method for assessing body composition. One study to date has used BIS to assess fluid measures in women with lipedema. Crescenzi et al. (2019) reported differences in extracellular fluid measures between women with higher stage lipedema and women with low stage lipedema, and between women with lower stage lipedema and control participants matched for body mass index (BMI). However, women with lymphedema were not assessed for comparison and no body composition measures were included.
Indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography is a clinical tool used for the assessment of the superficial lymphatic system. To our knowledge, no study has used ICG lymphography to differentiate between bilateral lower limb lymphedema and lipedema using a single standardized imaging technique.
The purpose of this study is to use ICG lymphography and BIS to explore differences in lymphatic status and body composition measures between women with lipedema and women with bilateral lower limb lymphedema. Symptom and quality of life data will also be assessed. We hypothesize that women with lipedema will show differences in these measures compared to women with lymphedema and control participants.
Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) is used to monitor fluid changes in individuals who are at risk of or living with lymphedema. By measuring extracellular fluid, BIS detects subclinical and clinical lymphedema. BIS has also become popular as a safe, convenient, and non-invasive method for assessing body composition. One study to date has used BIS to assess fluid measures in women with lipedema. Crescenzi et al. (2019) reported differences in extracellular fluid measures between women with higher stage lipedema and women with low stage lipedema, and between women with lower stage lipedema and control participants matched for body mass index (BMI). However, women with lymphedema were not assessed for comparison and no body composition measures were included.
Indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography is a clinical tool used for the assessment of the superficial lymphatic system. To our knowledge, no study has used ICG lymphography to differentiate between bilateral lower limb lymphedema and lipedema using a single standardized imaging technique.
The purpose of this study is to use ICG lymphography and BIS to explore differences in lymphatic status and body composition measures between women with lipedema and women with bilateral lower limb lymphedema. Symptom and quality of life data will also be assessed. We hypothesize that women with lipedema will show differences in these measures compared to women with lymphedema and control participants.
| Status | Finished |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 27/04/23 → 26/04/24 |