<p>Lymphoedema maintenance therapy is timeconsuming, laborious, and associated with diminished quality of life (QoL) (Cheville, 2002). Patients are understandably eager for discrete treatments that can permanently improve their condition and replace the unwelcome daily ritual of bandaging and garment use? Over the past decade, liposuction has hinted at such a promise; a one-time procedure that permanently reduces large limbs. Yet, has this tantalising promise been realised? Brorson et al taught the lymphoedema community that, for many patients, excess limb volume is comprised of fat (Brorson et al, 2006a) and that liposuction can achieve significant volume reduction (Brorson and Svensson, 1997). However, not all investigators have noted the dramatic reductions achieved by Brorson et al, calling into question the generalisability of their results (Brorson et al, 1998; O’Brien et al, 1989; Sando and Nahai, 1989).</p>
