An interventional study of Liposuction early and Liposuction late in Lipedema, sponsored by Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital. Active, not recruiting at 1 site in Norway. Open to female participants aged 20 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-09-22.
Sponsored by Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Lipedema is a chronic condition with a symmetrical accumulation of painful fatty tissue primarily affecting the limbs, sparing hands, feet and trunk. The subcutaneous fatty tissue is disproportionately voluminous and may have a different microstructure and metabolism than the patient's regular fatty tissue. The condition affects almost exclusively women and usually debuts around puberty. Lipedema seems to have a hereditary component, may be affected by hormonal variations and worsens with obesity. Guidelines advocate conservative treatment with compression therapy, weight management, physical activity, life style changes and psychological support;and in some cases surgical treatment such as bariatric surgery and liposuction.
Treatment of lipedema is indicated when the condition causes significant pain and inhibits the patient's everyday activities. Well-designed randomized controlled studies on lipedema are lacking.
The Ministry of Health and Care Services in Norway has found the scientific documentation for the effects of liposuction to be insufficient and has recommended that surgical treatment of lipedema should be evaluated through a 5-year clinical trial. A national task force, consisting of representatives from all four regional health authorities in Norway has been set up. This task force has now initiated this study. A national multi-center study with homogenous treatment protocols can provide globally sought insight on lipedema and the effect of its treatment regimes, and the findings will be important to adjust future treatment strategies regarding both effect and cost/effectiveness.
85 studies on the registry are indexed under Lipedema; 32 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 220 is above the median of 35 across 42 interventional studies indexed under Lipedema.
Browse Lipedema studies →Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital is the lead sponsor of 8 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.
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Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Standard conservative treatment consisting of: * Physical therapy, including compression garment and exercise program * Self-care program * Individual counseling from a clinical dietician
Other: Standard conservative treatment
Standard conservative treatment consisting of: * Physical therapy, including compression garment and exercise program * Self-care program * Individual counseling from a clinical dietician Additional lymphedema treatment consisting of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC)
Other: Standard conservative treatment with Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC)
Early liposuction, 6-9 months after inclusion in study.
Procedure: Liposuction early
Late liposuction, 18-21 months after inclusion. This group functions as a control group for 1 year before enrolment in the Liposuction group.
Procedure: Liposuction late
Liposuction 6-9 months after inclusion
Liposuction 18-21 months after inclusion
Standard Conservative treatment consisiting of: Physical therapy, including compression garment and exercise program, Self-care program
Physical therapy, including compression garment and exercise program, Self-care program and Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC)
Effect of liposuction on lipedema pain
Assess the effect of liposuction on lipedema pain (Visual Analog Scale (VAS). VAS consists of a 10 cm line, with two end points representing 0 (no pain) and 10 (worst possible pain).
Time frame: 12 months after the last liposuction surgery
Effect of liposuction on quality of life and everyday activities for patients with lipedema
Assess the effect of liposuction on quality of life and everyday activities (RAND-36)
Time frame: 12 months after the last liposuction surgery
Effect of different conservative treatments on lipedema pain and quality of life and everyday activities for patients with lipedema
Effect of two different conservative treatments strategies on pain and everyday activities (RAND-36)
Time frame: 6 months after inclusion
Adverse effect of liposuction
Assess possible adverse effects of liposuction
Time frame: 12 months after last liposuction surgery
Effect of liposuction on the need for conservative treatment
Assess whether having undergone liposuction changes the need for conservative treatment.
Time frame: 3 years after last liposuction surgery
Plan to share: Yes — Data will be available after publication of outcomes.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Analytic code
Time frame: Data will be available after publication of outcomes.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Sep 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital