Publications by authors named "Paula M Donahue"
Article Synopsis
- A national survey was conducted from 2016 to 2022 to examine the patient experience of women with lipedema, revealing a lack of existing data on this condition.
- A total of 707 women with lipedema and 216 control participants reported significant symptoms such as leg swelling in heat, easy bruising, and altered gait, often beginning during puberty or pregnancy.
- Most women with lipedema experienced minimal improvement with diet or exercise; common treatments included compression therapy, gastric bypass, and liposuction, indicating a need for further research on effective therapies.
Background: Lipedema is a loose connective tissue disease predominantly in women identified by increased nodular and fibrotic adipose tissue on the buttocks, hips and limbs that develops at times of hormone, weight and shape change including puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Lipedema tissue may be very painful and can severely impair mobility. Non-lipedema obesity, lymphedema, venous disease, and hypermobile joints are comorbidities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this work was to quantify 3.0 T (i) T and T relaxation times of in vivo human lymph nodes (LNs) and (ii) LN relaxometry differences between healthy LNs and LNs from patients with lymphatic insufficiency secondary to breast cancer treatment-related lymphedema (BCRL). MR relaxometry was performed over bilateral axillary regions at 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: 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).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: 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.