Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40054489›Full record

ArticleJournal of reconstructive microsurgery2026

Surgical Treatment of Lymphedema at LE&RN Comprehensive Centers of Excellence.

James E Fanning, Rosie Friedman, Kathleen Shillue, Aaron Fleishman, William Repicci, Kevin Donohoe, Dhruv Singhal

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of reconstructive microsurgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

James E FanningDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Rosie FriedmanDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Kathleen ShillueDepartment of Rehabilitation Services, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Aaron FleishmanDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
William RepicciLymphatic Education and Research Network, New York, New York.
Kevin DonohoeDivision of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Dhruv SinghalDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

Funding

Organ Specific ProjectU54HL165440 · NHLBI · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI HONG, YOUNG-KWON, SINGHAL, DHRUV · 2022 to 2025
$5.8M
Structural and Functional Remodeling of the Lymphatic System After Axillary Lymph Node DissectionR01HL157991 · NHLBI · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI Dhruv Singhal · 2021 to 2026
$3.1M
NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL157991NHLBI NIH HHS U54 HL165440
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Despite major advancements in lymphatic care, there remains a lack of consensus across institutions regarding the evaluation and surgical management of lymphedema. The aim of this study is to describe the practices for diagnosis and surgical treatment of lymphedema across accredited Lymphatic Education & Research Network (LE&RN) comprehensive Centers of Excellence (COEs).A survey was distributed to directors of the 16 LE&RN comprehensive COEs in January 2023. Directors were queried on lymphatic surgeon training, evaluation of potential surgical patients, description of surgical operations offered at their center, surgical algorithms, and operative techniques for various procedures.Nine COEs completed the survey (56% response rate). Eight of nine centers reported having an interdisciplinary surgical evaluation program, including lymphatic surgery (100%, 8/8), certified lymphedema therapy (100%, 8/8), and lymphatic medicine (75%, 6/8). COEs use a variety of lymphatic imaging modalities, with indocyanine green lymphography (89%, 8/9) and lymphoscintigraphy (78%, 7/9) being the most common. While all COEs offered debulking procedures, 67% (6/9) offered physiologic procedures (lymphovenous bypass and vascularized lymph node transplant), and 56% (5/9) offered immediate lymphatic reconstruction. There was no consensus on surgical algorithms or operative approaches.LE&RN comprehensive COEs consistently use multidisciplinary care teams for medical and surgical evaluations, but there is significant variability in lymphatic imaging modalities used and lymphatic surgery types and techniques. These findings underscore the need for continued research and standardization of lymphatic surgery outcomes to develop consensus.

Indexed as

LymphedemaHumansSurveys and Questionnaires

Identifiers

PMID40054489
PMCPMC12826538

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.