A novel tool for intralymphatic injection: the modified glass hypodermic needle

Area of Science:

• Anatomical research
• Microsurgery
• Medical device engineering

Background:

• Contrast lymphangiography is an emerging technique for lymphatic anatomy evaluation in cadavers.
• Microsurgical cannulation of lymphatics with contrast media aids anatomical studies.
• A significant limitation is the inability to cannulate small lymphatic vessels (<0.3 mm) with conventional needles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel technique for cannulating small lymphatic vessels.
• To overcome the limitations of commercially available needles in lymphatic research.
• To enable accurate lymphatic anatomical evaluation using contrast lymphangiography.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel technique using modified glass hypodermic needles.
• Fabrication of glass needles with precise diameters, including those as small as 0.01 mm.
• Application of these needles for cannulating lymphatic vessels in fresh cadaveric specimens.

Main Results:

• Successfully created modified glass needles with diameters ranging from 0.01 mm to 0.1 mm.
• Demonstrated the accuracy and feasibility of using these glass needles for lymphatic vessel cannulation.
• Overcame the limitation posed by the small caliber of lymphatic vessels (approx. 0.1 mm).

Conclusions:

• The novel technique using custom-made glass needles effectively enables cannulation of small lymphatic vessels.
• This method significantly advances the capability for detailed lymphatic anatomical research using contrast lymphangiography.
• The ability to create needles of specific, small calibers improves the precision of lymphatic anatomical studies.