REVIEW ARTICLE
지방조직과 림프부종
홍기용1,*
Adipose Tissue and Lymphedema
Ki Yong Hong1,*
1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
*Address for correspondence:
Ki Yong Hong, MD, PhD, Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea, Tel: +82-2-2072-0310, Fax: +82-2-741-3985, E-mail:
kyhong@snu.ac.kr
ⓒ Copyright 2026 Korean Society of Lymphology and Lymphedema. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Received: Mar 19, 2022; Accepted: Mar 26, 2022
Published Online: May 31, 2022
Abatract
Lymphedema refers to a chronic progressive disease that occurs secondary to impaired lymphatic drainage, which results in accumulation of interstitial fluid and consequent tissue swelling. Lymph stasis triggers a series of pathophysiological changes including adipose tissue deposition, fibrosis, and inflammation. Recent studies have reported the usefulness of microsurgical techniques in physiologic surgery to drain excessive lymphatic fluid even in cases of advanced-stage lymphedema. However, ablative surgery such as liposuction remains an effective approach for treatment of adipose tissue deposition in non-fluid dominant lymphedema. Further studies are warranted to gain a deeper understanding of adipogenesis in lymphedema to develop novel therapeutic and preventive strategies against advanced-stage lymphedema.
Keywords: Lymphedema; Adipose Tissue; Adipogenesis; Liposuction
