Fuzzy lymphedema assessment based on clinical and functional criteria

A fuzzy lymphedema clinical and functional assessment for classifying the risk of developing and its severity is proposed in this paper. Different from the previous approach where reversibility, skin infection, and skin changes were the input variables, this new fuzzy lymphedema clinical assessment takes into account the elements that compose the Brazilian Society of Lymphology (SBL). Such a SBL-based metric not only takes into account pre-clinical cases with risk of worsening and infective-degenerative local complications but also points out functional data of limb edema with the involvement of articular joints. The proposed approach includes both clinical (Pitting, Skin Changes, Stemmer Signal and Reversibility) and functional criteria (Joint Involvement). The fuzzy lymphedema assessment based on clinical and functional criteria allows establishing therapeutic global rehabilitative programs, degree of assistance necessity of patients, and reduction of the daily living activities.