The role of radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy in extremity lymphedema.
The characteristics of lymphedema on radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy were studied, and the diagnostic value of radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy in lymphedema was evaluated. In this report radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy was performed in 110 cases of clinically suspected lymphedema. A retrospective study method was used to analyze the imaging results. The typical pattern of lymphedema on radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy was summarized. It was found that the characteristics of lymphedema on radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy were diverse. The most common pattern was increased radiotracer accumulation in the soft tissue and lymphatic webs. Surgery and infection dominated as the causes of lymphedema in this study. It was concluded that radionuclide lymphoscintigraphy is a useful noninvasive method for diagnosing lymphedema. It is easy to operate and provides reliable results.
Yuan
Zhibin
Z
Nuclear Medicine Department, Shanghai 6th People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China. yuanzb@sh163.net
Chen
Libo
L
Luo
Quanyong
Q
Zhu
Jifang
J
Lu
Hankui
H
Zhu
Ruisen
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003911:Dextrans; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008209:Lymphedema / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D003911:Dextrans; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C034146:technetium Tc 99m dextran