First Case of Lymphaticovenular Anastomosis for Treatment of Secondary Lymphedema in Costa Rica: Japanese Contribution to Microsurgery Development

Summary: Although a large number of treatments have been developed for lymphedema, definitive management still remains a challenge for plastic surgery, because not all surgical techniques have a positive effect on every patient, and good results are difficult to reproduce. However, it is important to recognize the efforts that Professor Isao Koshima and his colleagues together with the Government of Japan are carrying out to spread information to the different countries on the newest surgical techniques available in current plastic surgery and to motivate young doctors in developing countries to create a microsurgery unit in their home country, providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills to deliver real solutions to complex problems that were previously unanswered. As a result of this program, the authors present the first case of secondary lymphedema successfully treated with lymphaticovenular anastomosis in Costa Rica, Central America. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal. Published online 27 February 2018. Received for publication December 4, 2017; accepted December 27, 2017. Disclosure: The authors have no financial interest to declare in relation to the content of this article. The Article Processing Charge was paid for by the authors. Madelein Centeno-Rodriguez, MD, Universal Plastic Surgery, 1st Avenue, 24-26th Street, Paseo Colon, San Jose, Costa Rica 10102, E-mail: mcenteno@plasticsurgerycr.com Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All rights reserved.

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