[Edema of the hand during secondary swelling of the arms: primary etiopathogenic hypotheses].

Iatrogenic swollen arms following surgery and radiation therapy after breast cancer, may be -or not- associated with a swollen hand: the percentage is approximately 50%. This study attempts to formulate a few hypotheses regarding the pathogenesis of this distal edema. Clinical examination, lympho-phlebography, isotopic scintigraphy and exploration of the microcirculation (periungual capillaroscopy, distal plethysmography and distal Doppler) were performed in ten patients with hand edema. If the dual nature of the stasis seems to be confirmed the most remarkable result is that in 8 out of 10 patients the anomalies are bilateral. These first hypotheses should be confirmed by a more in-depth quantitative study, and perhaps by more direct paraclinical investigations.