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Lymphoscintigraphy for the diagnosis of extremity lymphedema: Current controversies regarding protocol, interpretation, and clinical application
Author(s) -
Pappalardo Marco,
Cheng MingHuei
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.25526
Subject(s) - medicine , lymphedema , protocol (science) , modality (human–computer interaction) , gold standard (test) , interpretation (philosophy) , radiology , medical physics , clinical practice , physical therapy , cancer , pathology , breast cancer , artificial intelligence , computer science , alternative medicine , programming language
Appropriate diagnosis, staging and a further selection of the best treatment are fundamental for the management of patients with extremity lymphedema. Several clinical and imaging tools have been described for these purposes. Lymphoscintigraphy is still considered the gold standard imaging modality for diagnosing lymphedema. However, protocol variability and poor image resolution can make the interpretation challenging. Here, we reviewed technical aspects of lymphoscintigraphy, interpretation of the lymphoscintigraphy findings, staging, and its clinical application.