[Lymphedema--guidelines for evaluation and treatment].

Lymphedema is the "neglected vascular disease". A lot has been written about arterial and venous pathologies but our knowledge, as physicians, about the pathophysiology on the one hand and about the treatment, on the other hand, is scarce. Lymphedema is subdivided into primary and secondary disease. The primary lymphedema is further subdivided to congenital, praecox and tarda. Conservative treatment is the first line of therapy. Surgery has not been proven as a good solution for this disease, and furthermore, even when operations are being conducted, conservative treatment should be continued on a daily basis. It seems that further research about this "forgotten disease" should be designed in order to improve the treatment of these complicated patients.