Langzeitveränderungen nach Liposuktion bei Lipödem

A prospective single-center study with mail questionnaire - in most cases combined with clinical controls - was carried out in 112 patients with lipedema after a period from 8 months to nearly 7 years following liposuction in tumescent local anesthesia. With regard to morphology (body shape), patients showed reductions of fat volume in circumscribed areas resulting in normalization of body proportions. With regard to complaints, there was pronounced and clinically relevant improvement in spontaneous pain, pain upon pressure, edema, hematomas and restriction of movement; in addition the selfassessment concerning cosmetic appearance changed for the better and there was improvement in quality of life. Statistical analyses of all examined items and of a summary item (impairment) demonstrated that the success of liposuction was not dependent on the women's age; however, patients with more severe disease (stage Il and III) showed better improvement compared to patients in stage I. The success was similar after a period of both one year and nearly seven years. When performed by experienced surgeons, liposuction is a successful and effective method with very few complications. As a result, less conservative treatment (decongestive therapy, compression garments) is needed postoperatively.