Monitoring Leg Lymphedema Over the Course of Therapy Using an Infrared System.

There are many techniques of monitoring leg lymphedema during physical therapy. Taking volumetric measurements with a tape measure is among the most common clinically, and changes in volume are typically used to measure therapy efficacy. This study shows how the Kinect infrared (IR) sensor with custom algorithms can assess leg circumferences and volumes comparable with tape measurements taken by a trained therapist while exploring regional leg changes to determine uniformity of change.

Bilateral Changes in Deep Tissue Environment After Manual Lymphatic Drainage in Patients with Breast Cancer Treatment-Related Lymphedema.

Background: Breast cancer treatment-related lymphedema (BCRL) arises from a mechanical insufficiency following cancer therapies. Early BCRL detection and personalized intervention require an improved understanding of the physiological processes that initiate lymphatic impairment. Here, internal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measures of the tissue microenvironment were paired with clinical measures of tissue structure to test fundamental hypotheses regarding structural tissue and muscle changes after the commonly used therapeutic intervention of manual lymphatic drainage (MLD).

Clinical feasibility of noninvasive visualization of lymphatic flow with principles of spin labeling MR imaging: implications for lymphedema assessment.

Purpose: To extend a commonly used noninvasive arterial spin labeling magnetic resonance (MR) imaging method for measuring blood flow to evaluate lymphatic flow.

Materials And Methods: All volunteers (n = 12) provided informed consent in accordance with institutional review board and HIPAA regulations. Quantitative relaxation time (T1 and T2) measurements were made in extracted human lymphatic fluid at 3.