淋巴管x射线照片

定义

A lymphangiogram is a special x射线 of the lymph nodes and lymph vessels. Lymph nodes produce lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) that help fight infections. 淋巴结也会过滤和捕获 癌症 细胞.

The lymph nodes and vessels are not seen on a normal x射线, so a dye or radioisotope (radioactive compound) is injected into the body to highlight the area being studied.

选择的名字

Lymphography; Lymphangiography

如何执行测试

You may be offered medicine to help you relax before the test.

You sit in a special chair or on an x射线 table. 医护人员会给你洗脚, and then injects a small amount of blue dye into the area between your toes (called webbing).

Thin, bluish lines appear on the top of the foot within 15 minutes. 这些线表示淋巴通道. 提供者麻痹了该区域, makes a small surgical cut near one of the larger blue lines, and inserts a thin flexible tube into a lymph channel. 每只脚都要这样做. Dye (contrast medium) flows through the tube very slowly, over a period of 60 to 90 minutes.

也可以使用另一种方法. Instead of injecting blue dye between your toes, your provider may numb the skin over your groin and then insert a thin needle under ultrasound guidance into a lymph node in your groin. Contrast will be injected through the needle and into the lymph node using a type of pump called an insufflator.

A type of x射线 machine, called a fluoroscope, projects the images on a TV monitor. The provider uses the images to follow the dye as it spreads through the 淋巴系统 up your legs, groin, and along the back of the abdominal cavity.

一旦染料完全注入, the catheter is removed and stitches are used to close the surgical cut. 这个地方包扎起来了. X-rays are taken of the legs, pelvis, abdomen, and chest areas. 第二天可能会拍更多的x光片.

If the test is being done to see if breast 癌症 or melanoma has spread, the blue dye is mixed with a radioactive compound. Images are taken to watch how the substance spreads to other lymph nodes. This can help your provider better understand where the 癌症 has spread when a biopsy is being performed.

如何准备考试

你必须签一份同意书. You may be asked to not eat or drink for several hours before the test. You may wish to empty your bladder just before the test.

Tell the provider if you are pregnant or you have bleeding problems. 也要提到你是否有过 过敏反应 to x射线 contrast material or any iodine-containing substance.

If you are having this test done with sentinel lymph node biopsy (for breast 癌症 and melanoma), then you will need to prepare for the operating room. A surgeon and anesthesiologist will tell you how to prepare for the procedure.

考试的感觉如何

Some people feel a brief sting when the blue dye and numbing medicines are injected. You may feel pressure as the dye starts to flow into your body, particularly behind the knees and in the groin area.

手术伤口会痛几天. The blue dye causes skin, urine, and stool discoloration for about 2 days.

为什么要进行测试

A lymphangiogram is used with lymph node biopsy to determine the possible spread of 癌症 and the effectiveness of 癌症 therapy.

Contrast dye and x射线s are used to help determine the cause of swelling in an arm or leg and check for diseases that may be caused by parasites.

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:

• 霍奇金淋巴瘤
• 非霍奇金淋巴瘤

异常结果意味着什么

淋巴结肿大(腺体肿胀) that have a foamy appearance may be a sign of lymphatic 癌症.

Nodes or parts of the nodes that do not fill with the dye suggest a blockage and may be a sign of 癌症 spreading through the lymph system. Blockage of the lymph vessels may be caused by 肿瘤感染、受伤或以前的手术.

Talk to your provider about the meaning of your specific test results.

风险

风险 related to the injection of the dye (contrast medium) may include:

• 过敏反应
• 发热
• 感染
• 淋巴管发炎淋巴管发炎

辐射量很低. 然而, most experts feel that the risk of most x射线s is smaller than other risks we take every day. Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of the x射线.

注意事项

The dye (contrast medium) can stay in the lymph nodes for up to 2 years.

参考文献

SG罗克森. 淋巴循环疾病. 见:Creager MA, Beckman JA, Loscalzo J，编. Vascular Medicine: A Companion to Braunwald's Heart Disease. 3日艾德. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 57.

Witte MH, Bernas MJ, Pires PW. 淋巴病理生理学. 见:Sidawy AN, Perler BA编. Rutherford's Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy. 10日艾德. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 10.