Chronic oedema and lymphoedema of the lower limb

Abstract

There is a very fine line between oedema, chronic oedema, lymph venous oedema and lymphoedema with the names ‘chronic oedema’ and ‘lymphoedema’ often used interchangeably. Therefore, there can be difficulty with diagnosis of which condition is present in the individual patient, particularly when another unrelated condition (lipoedema) can also be mistakenly diagnosed as lymphoedema. The most important thing to remember is that, although there is this fine line between the conditions, each part of the disease development cannot be entirely separated or treated completely in isolation. The key to good outcomes in lymphovenous oedema is to treat it at the earliest stage possible to prevent deterioration, venous ulceration and the almost inevitable cellulitis that is associated with lymphoedema skin changes. This article will aim to promote an understanding of the different conditions and stages, will provide a simple identification of the condition and will discuss how lymphovenous oedema can lead eventually to the very difficult-to-treat chronic lymphoedema with ideas of how to prevent this deterioration.