Water-jet-assisted liposuction for the treatment of lipedema: Standardized treatment protocol and results of 63 patients

BACKGROUND: Lipedema is a condition of painful increase in subcutaneous fat affecting almost exclusively women. Several studies have examined the effectiveness of liposuction in the treatment of lipedema, but none has focused on water-jet-assisted liposuction technique. METHODS: A standardized treatment protocol for liposuction in lipedema, which was established over the course of 15 years, is presented. Patients received questionnaires preoperatively and after operative treatment assessing characteristics and symptom severity on visual analog scales in a prospective manner. RESULTS: Pre- and postoperative questionnaires were available for 63 patients. Median age was 35 years and mean (body mass index) BMI 28.4 ± 0.6, all patients had stages I or II lipedema diagnosed by two separate specialists. After a mean follow-up of 22 months after operative treatment, all assessed symptom had decreased significantly in severity. All patients wore compression garments and/or received manual lymphatic drainage preoperatively; this could be reduced to only 44% of patients needing any conservative treatment postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Liposuction in water-jet-assisted technique using the presented treatment protocol is an efficient method of operative treatment of early-stage lipedema patients leading to a marked decrease in symptom severity and need for conservative treatment.