The LYMPHA procedure is an innovative surgery that can help prevent lymphedema from developing.
LYMPHA is an innovative procedure that can help to prevent lymphedema. Traditionally, lymphedema has been managed with conservative, or non-surgical, treatment after it has already developed. LYMPHA aims to stop lymphedema from ever occurring.
In the LYMPHA procedure, advanced microsurgical techniques are used to maintain the proper flow of lymph fluid through the body. It can be performed at the same time as a breast reconstruction. The cancer surgery often includes, in addition to tumor removal from the breast, the removal of one or more lymph nodes in the armpit. If these lymph nodes show tumor cells in them, then additional lymph nodes may be removed in what is commonly called an “axillary dissection”. Because lymphatics from the breast intermingle with lymphatics from the arm as they pass into the armpit, removing these lymph nodes can result in swelling in the arm. The risk of lymphedema is small when only a few lymph nodes are removed, but increase significantly if an axillary dissection is required. If radiation is also required, this can further damage the lymphatics draining the arm.
LYMPHA involves a temporary dye injection in the hand and arm to map the lymphatic circulation. When lymph nodes are removed during the surgery, the surrounding lymphatic vessels are cut. Those vessels are carefully reattached to small veins in the armpit to allow drainage of the lymph coming from the arm back into the circulation, as it would normally do if its path were not disrupted. While only a few of the channels can usually be reconnected, this can help prevent fluid from backing up in the arm. Successful surgery requires that there be usable lymphatics, a vein with adequate length to reach the cut lymphatics and an intact valve to prevent blood from leaking out the vein and clotting off the lymphatics.
If you’re eligible for the LYMPHA procedure, it’s important to reach out to your insurance company to obtain coverage details. Many insurance companies will not cover LYMPHA because it is a preventative rather than a therapeutic procedure and/or they consider it experimental because of its relative newness. Physicians like Dr. Smith are helping to establish the reputation of LYMPHA as an important and necessary part of breast reconstruction.
Maybe. Your breast surgeon will be the one to make that determination. Often a sentinel node biopsy is performed to check a select few nodes to assess if there are any tumor cells present, before deciding whether any additional lymph nodes need to be removed.
I didn’t have to take any pain medicine. It was just amazing. . . I had this major surgery and was home the next day.
I would 100% recommend Dr. Smith and just say there isn’t a better doctor out there for this.
I'm astonished. I am amazed at how Dr. Smith was able to create another breast for me from nothing.
Dr. Smith is the happy ending to this story. Everyone that I spoke to about him said, ‘you're in great hands.’
I can't believe I didn't feel any pain. I didn't really need any painkillers. Not at all.
He will always give you his best. He will help you to feel whole again. He will help you to feel like the person you were before.
I can tell you now 1,000% that I made the right decision...the way that they look, you cannot even see a scar.
I felt like this doctor is something. He has a good heart. He’s very gentle and very nice.
And I just knew how thorough he was, that he was prepared, that he was well informed, and that he knew his craft
Dr. Smith was very, very nice and friendly. He was very down to earth compared to some doctors. He's knowledgeable, of course. His credentials definitely spoke volumes.
He's even more impressive than I had first thought. He is very direct and he's smart. And he will explain things to you.
It's very important to me to have good bedside manner. And [Dr. Smith] took the time. He made me feel like he could do this 1-2-3, and I'd be good to go.
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