Noninvasive, objective evaluation of lower extremity lymphedema severity using shear wave elastography: A preliminary...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biophysics
• Lymphedema Research

Background:

• Skin and subcutaneous tissue stiffness increases in early lymphedema.
• Objective evaluation methods for lower extremity lymphedema (LEL) are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess shear wave elastography (SWE) for evaluating LEL severity.
• To correlate SWE measurements with lymphatic function determined by indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography.

Main Methods:

• SWE was performed on 10 normal controls and 72 patients with gynecological cancer.
• Shear wave velocity (SWV) was measured in dermal and subcutaneous layers of the thigh and calf.
• Dermal thickness and histological examinations were conducted on thigh tissues.

Main Results:

• SWE's dermal layer SWV on the thigh showed the strongest correlation with ICG dermal backflow (DBF) stage (R=0.67).
• Thigh dermal thickness significantly correlated with ICG DBF stage (R=0.87) and SWV (R=0.73).

Conclusions:

• SWE provides noninvasive, objective LEL severity evaluation correlated with lymphatic function.
• Thigh dermal DBF changes measured by SWE best reflect lymphatic function alterations.
• Dermal thickness variations may influence SWV findings in LEL.