title: Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Ultrasonography Features in Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema.
abstract: Objective:To investigate skin, subepidermal low echogenic band (SELEB), and subcutaneous tissue (SCT) thickness as well as the degree of increase in subcutaneous echogenicity (SEG) and subcutaneous echo-free space (SEFS) in arms with lymphedema (LE).Materials and Methods:The skin and SCT of both arms of 30 patients with unilateral stage II breast cancer-related LE were scanned at five points (medial/lateral upper arm/forearm and dorsum of the hand). SEG and SEFS grades were determined according to severity (range: 0-2).Results:All measured parameters, except the SEFS in the medial upper arm, were significantly higher on the LE side than on the normal (N) side. The parameters differed most remarkably in the medial forearm (MFA; skin: LE 1.7 ± 0.8 mm vs. N 0.8 ± 0.2 mm; SELEB: LE 1.0 ± 0.6 mm vs. N 0.3 ± 0.1 mm; SCT: LE 8.7 ± 3.4 mm vs. N 3.8 ± 2.0 mm; SEG: LE 0.9 ± 0.5 vs. N 0.1 ± 0.3; and SEFS: LE 0.5 ± 0.7 vs. N 0).Conclusion:The differences in the thickness of the skin, SELEB, and SCT and the SEG and SEFS grades between the LE and N arms seemed most evident in the MFA.
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Clinical Science, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suehiro
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Clinical Science, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriyasu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morikage
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Clinical Science, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Clinical Science, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Takasuke
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Clinical Science, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samura
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Clinical Science, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuriko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Clinical Science, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizoguchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Clinical Science, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Division of Vascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Clinical Science, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Kimikazu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hamano
keywords: arm; lymphedema; ultrasonography