PRETIBIAL MYXEDEMA - A MANIFESTATION OF LYMPHEDEMA

Pretibial myxoedema (PTM) in its most extreme form clinically resembles lymphoedema. Studies with quantitative lymphoscintigraphy and fluorescence microlymphography in two patients with extensive PTM confirmed the presence of both functional and structural changes in the lymphatic system. We suggest that mucin deposition in the dermis causes compression of the dermal lymphatics, which results in dermal oedema and the clinical features of lymphoedema.