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J Reconstr Microsurg 2023; 39(02): 102-110
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1750824
Original Article

The Use of Ultrasound Imaging for Upper Extremity Lymphedema after Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review

Elena Canales-Lachén
1   Department of Radiology, University Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
,
Ángel Asunsolo
2   Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
3   Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
,
Oscar J. Manrique
4   Deparment of Plastic Surgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York
,
Javier Blázquez
1   Department of Radiology, University Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
3   Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
,
Purificación Holguín
5   Department of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Getafe, Madrid, Spain
,
Andrés A. Maldonado 
2   Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
3   Ramón y Cajal Health Research Institute (IRYCIS), Madrid, Spain
5   Department of Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Getafe, Madrid, Spain
6   Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, BG Trauma Center Frankfurt am Main, Academic Hospital of the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Abstract

Background The aim of this study was to analyze the different applications of ultrasound (US) in upper extremity lymphedema (UEL) after breast cancer.

Methods A systematic review of the literature was performed in line with the PRISMA statement using MEDLINE/PubMed databases from January 1970 to December 2021. Articles describing the application of US in patients with UEL after breast cancer were included. The quality of the study, the level of reproducibility, and the different applications and type of US technique were analyzed.

Results In total, 30 articles with 1,193 patients were included in the final review. Five different applications were found: (1) diagnosis of UEL (14 studies found a direct correlation between lymphedema and morphological and/or functional parameters); (2) staging/severity of UEL (9 studies found a direct correlation between the clinical stage and the soft-tissue stiffness/texture/thickness); (3) therapeutic assessment (3 studies found an improvement in the circulatory status or in the muscle/subcutaneous thickness after conservative treatments); (4) prognosis assessment of UEL (1 study found a correlation between the venous flow and the risk of UEL); and (5) surgical planning (3 studies determined the location of the lymphatic vessel for lymphovenous anastomosis [LVA] surgery).

Conclusion Morphological and functional parameters have been correlated with the diagnosis, stage, therapeutic effect, prognosis of UEL, and surgical planning of LVA.

Keywords

doppler ultrasound - lymphedema - breast cancer - upper extremity


Publikationsverlauf

Eingereicht: 31. August 2021

Angenommen: 23. April 2022

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
26. September 2022

© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USA

 

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