Lymphoedema is a chronic disease that may be congenital (primary) or acquired (secondary). Without appropriate treatment, lymphoedema leads to pain and an impaired quality of life. We investigated the efficacy and safety of lymphovenous anastomoses (LVA), a minimally invasive supermicrosurgical procedure, in patients with primary and secondary lymphoedema.

One non-randomised controlled study and four prospective single-arm studies were evaluated. Overall, the level of evidence is "very low" for the outcomes of clinical effectiveness and safety. Based on the available evidence, no conclusions can be drawn as to whether the assessed procedure of LVA is at least as effective and safer as the comparator VLNT or conservative therapy.

Therefore, we currently do not recommend the inclusion of LVA in the Austrian catalogue of procedures and suggest a re-evaluation after 2021, provided that the ongoing studies report patient-related outcomes.