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Updated: Jun 15, 2026
A Revised Method for Inducing Secondary Lymphedema in the Hindlimb of Mice
Published on: November 2, 2019
[Interstitial high-resolution MR lymphangiography in patients with lower extremity lymphedema]
Yong-qiang Ren1, Qing Lu, Wei-gang Cao
1Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China.
Objective:
To assess the feasibility of interstitial magnetic resonance lymphangiography (IMRL) with intracutaneous injection of gadobenate dimeglumine--a commercially available, non-ionic, extracellular paramagnetic contrast agent.
Methods:
We studied 10 patients with lower extremity lymphedema. A mixture of 7.5 ml gadobenate dimeglumine and 0.5 ml 2% lidocaine were evenly subdivided into 8 portions and injected intracutaneously into each web space of both feet. For IMRL, a 3D fast spoiled gradient-recalled echo T1-weighted images with a fat saturation technique (T1 high resolution isotropic volume excitation, THRIVE) was performed.
Results:
The beaded appearance of lymphatic vessels extending from the injection site were detected in 11 of 12 lower legs and the best delineation of lymphatic vessels was present at 15-30 minutes after injection. In 6 of 12 affected thighs, lymphatic vessels could be also visualized with the strongest enhancement at 45 minutes.
Conclusion:
IMRL is a safe and technically feasible new method which can effectively visualize the pathological lymphatic vessels in lower extremity lymphedema.
