Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Single frequency versus bioimpedance spectroscopy for the assessment of lymphedema

  • Brief Report
  • Published:
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background The aims were to determine (i) whether single frequency bioimpedance analysis (SFBIA) is as accurate as bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) in measurement of extracellular fluid and (ii) whether change in extracellular fluid was specific to only the limb directly affected by surgery. Methods Arms of the control (n = 28) and arm lymphedema group (n = 28) and legs of the leg lymphedema group (n = 16) were assessed with SFBIA. All four limbs in all participants were assessed with BIS. All measurements occurred in a single session. Results BIS-measured ratios were highly concordant with those obtained with SFBIA (r c = 0.99, P < 0.001). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that the ratio involving the lymphedema limb was different to the ratio of the non-oedematous limbs which was not significantly different to the arm or leg ratios of the control group. Conclusions SFBIA is a simple accurate alternative to BIS for the clinical assessment of unilateral lymphedema. BIS discriminates those with clinical diagnosis of unilateral lymhoedema from those without the diagnosis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

References

  1. Armer JM (2005) The problem of post-breast cancer lymphedema: impact and measurement issues. Cancer Invest 231:76–83. doi:10.1081/CNV-200048707

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Warren AG, Brorson H, Borud LJ, Slavin SA (2007) Lymphedema: a comprehensive review. Ann Plast Surg 594:464–472

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Sener SF, Winchester DJ, Martz CH, Feldman JL, Cavanaugh JA, Winchester DP et al (2001) Lymphedema after sentinel lymphadenectomy for breast carcinoma. Cancer 924:748–752. doi:10.1002/1097-0142(20010815)92:4≤748::AID-CNCR1378≥3.0.CO;2-V

    Google Scholar 

  4. Caseley-Smith J (1994) Measuring and representing peripheral oedema and its alterations. Lymphology 27:56–70

    Google Scholar 

  5. Cornish BH, Chapman M, Hirst C, Mirolo B, Bunce IH, Ward LC et al (2001) Early diagnosis of lymphedema using multiple frequency bioimpedance. Lymphology 341:2–11

    Google Scholar 

  6. Hayes SCB, Newman B (2005) Comparison of methods to diagnose lymphedema among breast cancer survivors: 6 month follow up. Breast Cancer Res Treat 89:221–226. doi:10.1007/s10549-004-2045-x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Cornish BHWL (1993) Improved prediction of extracellular and total body water using impedance loci generated by multiple frequency bio-electrical impedance analysis. Phys Med Biol 38:337–346. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/38/3/001

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ward LC, Bunce IH, Cornish BH, Mirolo BR, Thomas BJ, Jones LC (1992) Multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance augments the diagnosis and management of lymphedema in post-mastectomy patients. Eur J Clin Invest 2211:751–754. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2362.1992.tb01440.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Ward LC, Kilbreath S, Cornish BH (2008) Bioimpedance analysis for early detection of lymphedema. In: Weissieder H, Schuchhardt C (eds) Lymphedema: diagnosis and therapy, 4th edn. Viavital Verlag, Essen, pp 502–517

    Google Scholar 

  10. Cornish BH, Jacobs A, Thomas BJ, Ward LC (1999) Optimizing electrode sites for segmental bioimpedance measurements. Physiol Meas 203:241–250. doi:10.1088/0967-3334/20/3/302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Lin LI (1989) A concordance correlation coefficient to evaluate reproducibility. Biometrics 45:255–268. doi:10.2307/2532051

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. McBride G (2005) A proposal for strength-of-agreement criteria for Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd, Hamilton, New Zealand

    Google Scholar 

  13. Bland JMAD (1986) Statistical methods for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. Lancet 1:307–310

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Warren AG, Janz BA, Slavin SA, Borud LJ (2007) The use of bio-impedance analysis to evaluate lymphedema. Ann Plast Surg 58:541–543. doi:10.1097/01.sap.0000244977.84130.cf

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Tate CM, Willaims GN, Barrance PJ, Buchanan TS (2006) Lower extremity muscle morphology in young athletes: an MRI-based analysis. Med Sci Sports Exerc 38:122–128. doi:10.1249/01.mss.0000179400.67734.01

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Ward LC (2006) Bioelectrical impedance analysis: proven utility in lymphedema risk assessment and therapeutic monitoring. Lymphat Res Biol 41:51–56. doi:10.1089/lrb.2006.4.51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Ward LC, Byrne N, Rutter K, Hennoste L, Hills A, Cornish B et al (1997) Reliability of multiple frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis: an inter-machine comparison. Am J Hum Biol 9:63–72. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1520-6300(1997)9:1≤63::AID-AJHB9≥3.0.CO;2-R

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The loan of an impedance instrument for the study in leg lymphedema by ImpediMed Ltd. is gratefully acknowledged. Author Ward discloses that he has consulted to ImpediMed Ltd.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, P.O. Box 170, East Street, 2141, Lidcombe, NSW, Australia

    S. L. York, S. Czerniec, M. J. Lee, K. M. Refshauge & S. L. Kilbreath

  2. School of Molecular and Microbial Science, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    L. C. Ward

Authors
  1. S. L. York
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. L. C. Ward
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. S. Czerniec
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. J. Lee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. K. M. Refshauge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. S. L. Kilbreath
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. L. Kilbreath.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

York, S.L., Ward, L.C., Czerniec, S. et al. Single frequency versus bioimpedance spectroscopy for the assessment of lymphedema. Breast Cancer Res Treat 117, 177–182 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-008-0090-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-008-0090-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation