Background: Precise quantification of the severity and extent of edema is necessary before and after physiotherapeutic intervention, in order to evaluate the efficiency of the treatment. The objective of this study was to compare lower limb (LL) volume measurements from two methods: Leg-O-Meter (LM) and water displacement (WD), over a two-week interval. Method: Thirty-one women with LL edema, aged between 20 and 70 years, participated in this study. Edema was initially evaluated by circumference measurement (LM) at the ankle level, and by means of the volume of water displaced upon immersion of the limb (WD). After 2 weeks, these measurements were repeated without there having been any change in daily routines or medication intake. Results: the percent changes in edema in the right lower limb (RLL) using LM and WD were 0.3±4.18% and 0.9±3.31% (p=0.21), respectively. For the left lower limb (LLL) the percent changes were 0.7±3.44% and 0.5±3.84% (p=0.29), utilizing LM and WD, respectively. The magnitude of the correlation between the measurements obtained via the two techniques was high and significant, ranging from r=0.73 to r=0.83 (p<0.01). Conclusion: There was no detectable difference in the extent of the LL edema over a two-week period, when the LM and WD techniques were compared.
edema; circumference measurement; volumetry; assessment
