Radiographic lymphangiography in the dog using iodized oil

The objective of this study was to develop a clinically applicable technique to visualize the medial retropharyngeal, superficial cervical, axillary, superficial inguinal and medial iliac lymph nodes on radiographs. Direct and indirect lymphangiographic methods using iodized oil were repeated for a minimum of five times at eight different locations to enhance the various lymph nodes, using 16 healthy research dogs. Direct lymphangiography, although more invasive than indirect lymphangiography, resulted in uniform contrast uptake by an increased number of nodes and increased enhancement of the lymphatic vasculature, and is recommended for imaging the medial iliac and superficial cervical lymph nodes. Side effects were more frequent after indirect lymphangiography (10/20 injection sites) than after direct lymphangiography (3/16 injection sites). The small size of afferent lymphatic vessels did not allow use of direct lymphangiography for the medial retropharyngeal, axillary and superficial inguinal lymph nodes; however, indirect techniques allowed adequate visualization of these nodes.