Indian Journal of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy - An International Journal

The objective of the present study is to report on different responses to intensive clinical treatment of elephantiasis. The cases of three patients who were submitted to intensive clinical treatment for elephantiasis of the lower limbs are reported. The patients were treated for weekly periods with intervals between to permit the skin to adapt to the new size. The first, a 24-year-old patient who had suffered from lymphedema since the age of 12 and presented with an initial leg circumference of 89 cm, was submitted to intensive treatment for six to eight hours per day for one week. In the first week the patient lost 20 cm in circumference and 10 kg in weight. In the following sessions, the losses were smaller, but continuous and varied according to the treatment. The second, a 42-year-old patient who had also suffered from lymphedema since the age of 12, had been submitted to surgeries that led to the development of intense fibrosis of the limb. For this patient the reductions were smaller, varying around 2 cm per month, even so the improvement was progressive. The third patient was 42 years old and had suffered from lymphedema since the age of 12 and presented with an initial leg circumference of 94 cm. In the first week the patient lost 20 cm in circumference and 12 kg in weight. In the following sessions, the losses were smaller, but continuous and varied according to the treatment. In conclusion, in the clinical treatment of elephantiasis, the therapeutic responses are different with fibrotic lymphoedema being more difficult to treat than fibroedematous lymphoedema.