Diagnosis

The first manifestation is swelling of part or all of your effected extremity including fingers or toes. You might have a feeling of heaviness and tightness and suffer from recurring infections. Later a thickening of the skin can occur because of the fibrotic alteration of the tissue.

If you have had cancer surgery involving lymph node dissection and/or radiotherapy and you recognize clinical signs of lymphedema, then you might contact your general physician to verify the diagnosis.

If the cause of your lymphedema isn´t that obvious or you had primary lymphedema, new imaging tools could help to clarify. MRI scan, Lymphoscintigraphy and investigation with an infrared Scan (PDE) could find the blockage or malformation in your lymphatic system.