Medical device diagnostics are usually not required or are primarily used to evaluate for any comorbidities/coexisting conditions (see below).
Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination, laboratory diagnostics, and obligatory medical device diagnostics – for differential diagnostic clarification.
- Sonography (ultrasonography) [homogeneous widening of the subcutis (subcutaneous cell tissue) with uniformly increased echogenicity (“snow flurry”) and echo-rich septa (septum) in the absence of echoless clefts (1)]
- Doppler sonography (ultrasound examination that can dynamically visualize fluid flow (especially blood flow)) (color-coded duplex sonography)* .
- Light reflection rheography – if chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is suspected.
* Note: Lipedema and venous insufficiency (chronic venous congestion syndrome, CVI)/varicosis (varicose veins) have a very high coincidence (coincidence, -meeting of two events), so that the venous status – in terms of differential diagnosis – should be clarified by duplex sonography. Under the guise of lipedema, for example, postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) may also be hidden.
