The relevance of dynamic and static lymph scans in lymphoedema

Interstitial lymphoscintigraphy is a non-invasive, relatively safe procedure, by means of which the function and morphology of regional lymph vessels and nodes can be examined. Flow-off impairments, blocking and destruction of lymph nodes are easily detected in most of the cases. In cases of primarily and secondarily traumatic lymphoedema, lymph imaging should be done after the clinical examination. In malignant lymphoedema, however, the procedure is only of use if employed in addition to sonography and computerized tomography to assess the severity of existing lymphoedema and make a prognosis for complex decongestive therapy. (orig.)