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[The usefulness of isotopic lymphoscintigraphy in the study of lymphedemas]
Julio del Olmo1, Agustín España, José Richter
1Departamento de Dermatología, Clínica Universitaria de Navarra, Facultad de Medicina, Pamplona, Spain. jdelolmo@unav.es
Introduction:
Lymphedema is a process caused by the obstruction or destruction of the lymphatic vessels in the subcutaneous tissue. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve its clinical course, but this debilitating disease is often misdiagnosed.
Objective:
To highlight the importance of isotopic lymphoscintigraphy as a simple, non-invasive technique for the assessment and diagnosis of lymphedemas.
Material And Methods:
We present 2 patients affected with genital edema, and another with edema in the right upper limb. All of these were secondary to chronic infections. An isotopic lymphoscintigraphy was performed on all three patients.
Results:
In all three patients, the isotopic lymphoscintigraphy made it possible to confirm the diagnosis and the extent of the lymphedema.
Conclusions:
We believe that techniques such as phlebography, ultrasound/Doppler, CAT, magnetic resonance, cultures and biopsies should be used with all lymphedema patients in order to establish the cause of the disease. We propose that isotopic lymphoscintigraphy be added to these tests for appropriate lymphedema management.
