Abstract
From April 2005, we started a hospital-based complex decongestive physiotherapy (CDP) education program for lymph edema patients and 139 patients had undergone this program until March 2009. In 6 cases, our CDP education program was abandoned. In the other 133 cases, the CDP education program was completed, and the circumferences of the affected extremities were significantly decreased. These effects of decrease in circumference have been kept in maintenance phases, but the follow up rate was 53.2% in cases more than two years after discharge. It is obvious of the effectiveness of this education program, because the decrease in circumference of the affected limbs has been kept up in the follow up period. It is important to establish a system for continuing the support therapy, and also it is urgent to establish the safety network for the patients who need help.
