<p>Lymphoedema can pose diagnostic challenges, particularly in its early stages. Conventional assessment measures suffer from varying degrees of invasiveness and imprecision. In this context, the potential current and future applicability of multifrequency bioimpedance analysis (MFBIA) is discussed. This accurate, reproducible and non-invasive method detects alterations in extracellular fluid volume and is applicable to both unilateral and bilateral disease. Changes in bioimpedance may antedate the appearance of clinically identifiable disease, thereby facilitating identification of at-risk individuals.</p>