Treatment of adult lower extremity lymphedema with the Wright linear pump: statistical analysis of a clinical trial.

Seventy-three adult lymphedema patients with 78 affected lower extremities were treated with the Wright Linear Pump. All patients were admitted for a 48-hour clinical trial. Comparison of circumferential limb measurements before and after a 48-hour treatment period using a repeated measures analysis of variance showed statistically significant improvement (p less than 0.00005). Although the improvement appeared to be somewhat more pronounced for men than for women, both sexes experienced an important reduction in leg circumference after therapy. Other factors such as age, etiology, previous use of the Jobst pump, or duration of lymphedema did not appear to influence the extent of improvement. These data clearly indicate that the Wright Linear Pump is an effective treatment for lower extremity lymphedema in adults.