Evaluation of the results of three different methods of postmastectomy lymphedema treatment.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the following methods of postmastectomy lymphedema treatment: pneumatic massage with uniform pressure, pneumatic massage with differentiated pressure, and manual lymphatic massage. The study concerned three groups of 20 mastectomized patients with secondary early developed arm lymphedema. The measurement of circumference on seven points of both arms, the self-scoring mood questionnaire, and the visual analogue scale (VAS) were evaluated before, at the end, and 3 months after the treatment. We observed a permanent edema reduction, which was statistically significant, with uniform pressure pneumatic massage and with manual lymphatic massage, but not with differentiated pneumatic massage. The VAS and the self-scoring mood questionnaire made from measuring the subjective ratings of the patients confirmed the objective evaluations.