Open AccessMagnetic Resonance Lymphography of Lymphatic Vessels in Upper Extremity With Breast Cancer–Related Lymphedema
Author(s) -
Lingling Sheng,
Guoyou Zhang,
Shengli Li,
Zhaohua Jiang,
Weigang Cao
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
annals of plastic surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1536-3708
pISSN - 0148-7043
DOI - 10.1097/sap.0000000000001994
Subject(s) - lymphatic system , medicine , lymphedema , lymphatic vessel , magnetic resonance imaging , subcutaneous tissue , fibrosis , lymph , edema , anatomy , pathology , breast cancer , radiology , cancer , surgery , metastasis
Magnetic resonance lymphangiography (MRL) has been proven to be able to visualize pathological lymphatic networks and accompanying complications through subcutaneous injection of commonly used contrast agents. However, no comprehensive prior studies have previously been reported regarding MRL for the evaluation of upper extremity lymphedema in patients with breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). In this study, we establish a novel MRL protocol to characterize the normal and abnormal characteristics of different clinical stages of BCRL in patients using high-spatial-resolution MRL.