The axillo-inguinal (or inguino-axillary) is a compensatory lymphatic drainage pathway regularly utilized by lymphedema therapists when applying manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) for upper and lower extremity lymphedema. However, there is limited evidence of the frequency of this pathway and the characteristics of patients with lymphedema in which this pathway is present. Indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography is an imaging technique that has the capability to identify lymphatic drainage pathways in lymphedema when combined with MLD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLipoedema is characterized by disproportionate painful fat accumulation mostly in the lower limbs. The presence of lymphoedema in lipoedema remains controversial. This study aimed to assess the presence or absence of lymphoedema in the lower limbs of women with lipoedema using indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg
November 2022
Introduction: The lower limbs are a common body site affected by chronic edema. Imaging examination of the lymphatic system is useful to diagnose lymphoedema, identify structural changes in individuals, and guide interventional strategies. In this study, we used a protocol combining indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography and ICG-guided manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) for the diagnostic assessment of lower limb lymphoedema.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Vasc Surg Venous Lymphat Disord
September 2022
The Australian Lymphoedema Education, Research and Treatment Program (ALERT) at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia is one of the flagship programs of Australia's first fully integrated academic health sciences centre, MQ Health. The aim of this study was to describe our findings of compensatory drainage demonstrated by indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography in cancer-related upper and lower limb lymphedema and how this may be translated into clinical practice. Retrospective data from 339 patients aged between 18 and 90 years with secondary cancer-related unilateral or bilateral lymphedema of the upper or lower limb who underwent ICG lymphography assessment at the ALERT clinic between February 2017 and March 2020 were analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD) massage is widely accepted as a conservative treatment for lymphedema. This systematic review aims to examine the methodologies used in recent research and evaluate the effectiveness of MLD for those at-risk of or living with lymphedema.
Methods: The electronic databases Embase, PubMed, CINAHL Complete and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched using relevant terms.