Quantification and Effectiveness of Vascularized Neck Lymph Node Transfer for Lymphedema: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study aims to quantify the number of vascularized neck lymph nodes (VLNs) and postvascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) and summarize the safety and efficacy of neck VLNT for treatment of lymphedema. PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases were searched up to March 2022. PRISMA guidelines were adhered to, and the study was registered on PROSPERO. The primary outcome was the quantity of neck lymph nodes, and the secondary outcomes included postoperative cellulitis, Lymphedema Quality of Life Tool (LYMQOL), reduction of the extremity circumference, circumference differentiation, donor site morbidity, and lymphedema recurrence. The raw mean or proportion with a 95