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Efficacy validation of a lymphatic drainage device for lymphedema drainage in a rat model
Author(s) -
Cheng MingHuei,
Yang Chin Yu,
Tee Richard,
Hong YuTing,
Lu ChihCheng
Publication year - 2019
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.25707
Subject(s) - medicine , lymphedema , drainage , lymphatic system , membrane , biomedical engineering , indocyanine green , surgery , nuclear medicine , pathology , chemistry , ecology , biochemistry , cancer , breast cancer , biology
Background Vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) is an effective surgery for extremity lymphedema. This study evaluated a lymphatic drainage device (LDD) for the drainage of accumulated fluid into the venous system. Methods Micropore filtering membranes with pore sizes of 5, 0.65, and 0.22 μm polyvinylidene difluoride, and 0.8 μm Nylon Net Filter were evaluated to determine the in vitro efficiency of drainage flow of an LDD. The two superior membranes were further used for the evaluation of the inflow and outflow of the LDD in vivo using 5% albumin. Results At 5 minutes, the volumes drained with 5, 0.65, and 0.22 μm polyvinylidene difluoride and 0.8 μm nylon membranes were 15.2, 2.77, 2.37, and 0.59 mL, respectively ( P < .01). At 10 minutes, the collected volumes of 5 and 0.65 μm polyvinylidene difluoride were 1788 and 1051 μL ( P = .3). The indocyanine green fluorescence was detected at 50 seconds for the 5 μm polyvinylidene difluoride membrane but not for the 0.65 μm membrane. Conclusions The study successfully demonstrated the proof‐of‐concept of the LDD prototype that mimicked VLNT with drainage of 5% albumin into the venous system in a rat model.