A Bioimpedance Spectroscopy-Based Method for Diagnosis of Lower-Limb Lymphedema

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Steele, ML
Janda, M
Vagenas, D
Ward, LC
Cornish, BH
Box, R
Gordon, S
Matthews, M
Poppitt, SD
Plank, LD
Yip, W
Rowan, A
Reul-Hirche, H
Obermair, A
Hayes, SC
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2020
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Abstract

Background: This study aimed at testing whether arm-to-leg ratios of extracellular water (ECW) and ECW normalized to intracellular water (ICW), measured by bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS), can accurately detect bilateral, lower-limb lymphedema, and whether accounting for sex, age, and body mass index (BMI) improves the diagnostic performance of cut-offs. Methods and Results: We conducted a dual-approach, case-control study consisting of cases of bilateral, lower-limb lymphedema and healthy controls who self-reported absence of lymphedema. The diagnostic performance using normative data-derived cut-offs (i.e., mean + 0.5 standard deviation [SD] to mean + 3 SD; n = 136, 66% controls) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve-derived cut-offs (n = 746, 94% controls) was assessed. The impact of sex, age, and BMI was investigated by comparing stratified and nonstratified normative data-derived cut-offs, and ROC curves generated from adjusted and unadjusted logistic regression models. Arm-to-leg ratios of ECW between mean + 0.5 SD and mean + 1 SD showed fair to good sensitivity (0.73-0.84) and poor to good specificity (0.64 to 0.84). Arm-to-leg ratios of ECW/ICW failed to detect lymphedema (sensitivity <0.5). Stratification by sex, or by sex and age, yielded similar results to nonstratified cut-offs. Cut-offs derived from adjusted ROC curves showed both good sensitivity (0.83-0.89) and specificity (0.8-0.84). Conclusion: These findings represent new BIS criteria for diagnosing lower-limb lymphedema that do not rely on comparison to baseline measures or the presence of a nonaffected, contralateral limb.

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Lymphatic Research and Biology

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18

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2

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This is a copy of an article published in the Lymphatic Research and Biology. Copyright 2020 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Final publication is available from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers https://doi.org/10.1089/lrb.2018.0078

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Oncology and carcinogenesis not elsewhere classified

Clinical sciences not elsewhere classified

Immunology

bilateral

diagnosis

lower-limb

lymphedema

unilateral

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Steele, ML; Janda, M; Vagenas, D; Ward, LC; Cornish, BH; Box, R; Gordon, S; Matthews, M; Poppitt, SD; Plank, LD; Yip, W; Rowan, A; Reul-Hirche, H; Obermair, A; Hayes, SC, A Bioimpedance Spectroscopy-Based Method for Diagnosis of Lower-Limb Lymphedema, Lymphatic Research and Biology, 2020, 18 (2), pp. 101-109

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