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Updated: Oct 8, 2025
Hand-held Clinical Photoacoustic Imaging System for Real-time Non-invasive Small Animal Imaging
Published on: October 16, 2017
Application of Photoacoustic Imaging for Lymphedema Treatment
Yushi Suzuki1, Hiroki Kajita1, Shiho Watanabe1
1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Background:
Lymphatic vessels are difficult to identify using existing modalities as because of their small diameter and the transparency of the lymph fluid flowing through them.
Methods:
Here, we introduce photoacoustic lymphangiography (PAL), a new modality widely used for lymphedema treatment, to observe limb lymphatic vessels. The photoacoustic imaging system used in this study can simultaneously visualize lymphatic vessels and veins with a high resolution (0.2 mm) and can also observe their three-dimensional relationship with each other.
Results:
High-resolution images of the lymphatic vessels, detailed structure of the dermal back flow, and the three-dimensional positional relationship between the lymphatic vessels and veins were observed by PAL.
Conclusion:
The clear image provided by PAL could have a major application in pre- and postoperative use during lymphaticovenular anastomosis for lymphedema treatment.
