Diagnosis and Treatment Outcome Measure of Lymphedema with Indocyanine Green Lymphography

Secondary upper extremity lymphedema after lymph node dissection in breast cancer patients are one of main complication affecting quality of life. As lymphatic function is compromised before symptom develops in most cases, early diagnosis and intervention before symptomatic manifestation is known to prevent severe progression of lymphedema. Currently, lymphoscintigraphy is a main diagnostic tool for diagnosis of abnormality of lymphatic flow although its early diagnosis is still challenging. Indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography, a new technique for imaging lymph vessel is known to find lymphatic abnormalities at an early stage, possible before swelling is obvious. Although it shows certain advantages, it is currently available at very few rehabilitation centers. Considering usefulness of ICG lymphography in early diagnosis of lymphedema, many clinical trials are required for making a round of ICG lymphography.