Measurement of local tissue water in the diagnosis of breast cancer related lymphedema / 中华整形外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To investigate the value of local tissue water (LTW) in the diagnosis and evaluation for breast cancer related lymphedema(BCRL).@*Methods@#Sixty one patients with BCRL in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were recruited. The tissue dielectric constant (TDC) method was used to measure the LTW of the ventral and dorsal midpoint of the bilateral upper arm and forearm of the patients. Meanwhile, the circumference of the bilateral upper arm and forearm was measured with a tape. The LTW ratio and the circumference ratio of the affected and the unaffected arms were calculated respectively.@*Results@#The percentage of the patients who had two centimeter or above difference in the same reference point between their affected and unaffected arms or had 1.2 or above LTW ratio in their ventral upper arm and forearm were 29.5%, 39.3% and 52.5% respectively. The LTW ratio of the ventral reference point between the affected arms and the unaffected arms was significantly higher than that of the dorsal reference point (P<0.05). The circumference ratio was related to the LTW ratio between the affected arms and the unaffected arms (P<0.05), especially the coefficient of the ventral LTW ratio was higher. The lymphedema stage of the patients was also related to the LTW ratio of the upper arm and forearm (P<0.05), and the coefficient of the LTW ratio in the ventral forearm was the highest.@*Conclusions@#LTW measurement is helpful for early diagnosis and quantitative evaluation of BCRL. It is suggested that the ventral reference point of forearm should be examined.