Investigations of lower limb edema

The techniques to evaluate the anatomy of lower limb edema are discussed.The diagnosis of leg edema is based upon clinical history and laboratory investigations regarding systemic or local disorders. In most cases, the local evaluation of limb edema is based upon the visual appearance of the leg, followed by skin palpation, and, at the most, tape measurement of the ankle circumference. Various techniques of edema quantification and characterization are poorly used in daily clinical practice, even be simple execution. Some of these techniques are currently used only for research purposes. In turn, data obtained with these methods may help to refine the diagnosis as well as to furnish the information useful in decision-making regarding the therapy for each case. This chapter is an effort to characterize and quantify edema for the purpose of subsequent treatment.