I97.80: Lymphoedema after medical procedures in the lymphatic drainage area, all stages

Following medical treatment on your neck, your lymph fluid is no longer draining properly.

Fluid forms in tissue throughout the body every day. This tissue fluid is the lymph. The lymph is carried around the body by lymph vessels. The lymph vessels run around the entire body and are connected to blood vessels. At some points, there are lymph nodes along the lymph vessels. Pathogens are rendered harmless in the lymph nodes, for example. The lymph is collected and then flows into a blood vessel near the heart.

Sometimes medical treatment involves removing lymph nodes or leads to damaged lymph vessels, for example. The lymph is then sometimes no longer able to drain, and it accumulates in the body.

When the lymph accumulates, parts of the head can swell up, for example. Raising the affected parts of the body sometimes reduces the swelling. In some cases, the raising enables the lymph to drain away better. The skin and the tissue beneath the skin may change too. The skin sometimes goes very hard, for example. The affected areas of the body can become much thicker.