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Lymphangiography is a medical imaging study used to visualize the lymphatic system for diagnostic purposes. A dye is injected into the feet or hands, and a catheter is used to introduce a contrast dye. The procedure can be uncomfortable, and patients may feel sore afterward. It is used to check for blockages and signs of cancer.
Lymphangiography is a type of medical imaging study used to visualize the lymphatic system, the network of vessels and nodes that moves lymph throughout the body. This procedure is performed in a hospital or clinical setting and is supervised by a radiologist or medical technician. The purpose of lymphangiography is to gather information that can be used for diagnostic purposes to learn more about why a patient has specific symptoms and to potentially rule out certain medical problems.
Patients are often sedated for this procedure because it can be time consuming and uncomfortable. The patient will be awake, but relaxed from the sedative, which will make the lymphangiography more pleasant. Lymphangiography begins with injecting a dye into your feet or hands. This dye will flow into the lymphatic system and become visible, allowing a doctor, nurse or technician to insert a catheter into one of the lymph-carrying vessels.
The catheter is used to introduce a contrast dye, also known as a contrast agent. Contrast dyes are radiopaque, which means they will appear on X-ray images. The movement of the contrast dye is followed with the assistance of a fluoroscope, which generates a moving x-ray image of the body. Once it has spread throughout the lymphatic system or area of interest, series of X-rays may be taken. More x-rays may be taken the next day.
After the procedure, the patient may feel slightly sore, especially behind the knees. Commonly bodily fluids such as urine are also stained with the dye used at the start of the procedure to locate the lymphatic vessels, and this will resolve over several days once the body has expressed all of the dye. Lymphangiography results can be read immediately or interpreted at a different time and discussed later with the patient.
One reason a doctor orders a lymphangiogram is concern about blockages in the lymphatic system. If a patient has a swollen leg or arm that is thought to be the result of a backup of lymph, for example, a lymphangiography can be used to find the blockage so it can be addressed. This type of medical imaging can also be used to check for signs of cancer, although it is possible to get a false negative on a lymphangiography, so a clear result does not necessarily mean the patient does not have cancer.
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