![[L-R]: Professor John Boyages, Lymphoedema Program Director; Dr Meredith Simcock; Associate Professor Håkan Brorson; Dr Alessandra Canal; Peggy Williams, lymphoedema therapist; Louise Koelmeyer, Lymphoedema Program Manager; and Dr Thomas Lam, Liposuction plastic surgeon, Macquarie University Hospital.](https://www.mq.edu.au/thisweek/archives/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Lymphoedema_FEATURE.jpg)
The clinical and research lymphoedema team from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences recently welcomed Associate Professor Håkan Brorson, founder and global leader of liposuction for lymphoedema surgery, and more than 200 health professionals and consumers to a week-long forum to facilitate discussion and collaboration on current best practices for patient treatment and care.
Lymphoedema is an abnormal collection of fluid beneath the skin, causing swelling most commonly in the arm or leg, and can be triggered after the removal of lymph nodes, meaning breast or cervical cancer patients can be at risk of the condition.
“It was an intense week of activities, but linking in with the ‘Father of Liposuction for Lymphoedema’ was an enormous honour,” said Professor John Boyages, Associate Dean, International and Engagement and Lymphoedema Program Director. “Associate Professor Brorson was extremely impressed with our program, resulting in the initiation of a future research collaboration.”
Professor Boyages explains Macquarie University Hospital is the only facility in the Southern Hemisphere to offer lipsosuction for eligible lymphoedema patients, and 25% of the clinic’s patients have had to travel interstate for treatment.
During the week, the team completed liposuction surgery on two cancer survivors, one of which involved the removal of 10.5 litres of fat from a patient’s leg.
“This was the largest leg operated on by the team, and the second largest leg operated on by Associate Professor Brorson in his 21 years of completing the surgery,” explained Professor Boyages.
The forum also welcomed two plastic surgeons and a lymphoedema practitioner from New Zealand who were sponsored by the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation
At the closing of the Forum both Associate Professor Brorson and the medical lead of Macquarie’s advanced lymphoedema clinic, Dr Helen Mackie were given life-time achievement awards by the Faculty on their outstanding contributions to lymphoedema.