The measurement of skin lymph flow by isotope clearance--reliability, reproducibility, injection dynamics, and the effect of massage

Journal Article · Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · Journal of Investigative Dermatology; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/1523-1747.ep12514347· OSTI ID:6068557

Mortimer, P S; Simmonds, R; Rezvani, M; Robbins, M; Hopewell, J W; Ryan, T J ^[1]

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1. Slade Hospital, Oxford (England)

The measurement of skin lymph flow was investigated using an isotope clearance technique (ICT). Multiple lymph flow determinations were undertaken in the skin of anaesthetized large white pigs to test for reproducibility, ascertain the most suitable tracer, study the influence of injection dynamics, and observe the effect of massage as a stimulus to lymph flow. Blood clearance of tracer was also investigated. Results demonstrated that lymphatic clearance is a monoexponential function with good reproducibility under controlled laboratory conditions. 99mTc-colloid (TCK17 Cis) compared favorably with 131I-human serum albumin as a tracer and both performed better than colloid gold (198Au). Lymph flow was significantly faster in one pig than in the other. No difference existed between left and right sides or between caudal and rostral sites on each flank, but clearance was significantly slower in thigh than flank skin. Sub-epidermal injections cleared faster and more consistently than either deep or subcutaneous injections. Neither injection volume nor needle tract backflow of tracer influenced results, but local massage significantly enhanced clearance. Escape of 99mTc-colloid by the blood was negligible. These results indicate that skin lymph flow can be reliably measured when conditions are controlled. Extrinsic factors such as massage strongly influence lymph flow. Greater sensitivity in detecting degrees of lymphatic insufficiency may be achieved if a standardized stimulus to lymph flow is administered during isotope clearance measurement.

• OSTI ID: 6068557
• Journal Information: Journal of Investigative Dermatology; (USA), Vol. 95:6; ISSN 0022-202X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
LYMPH
FLUID FLOW
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM
DYNAMIC FUNCTION STUDIES
ALBUMINS
BLOOD-PLASMA CLEARANCE
COLLOIDS
GOLD 198
IODINE 131
ISOMERIC NUCLEI
SKIN
STIMULI
SWINE
TECHNETIUM 99
TRACER TECHNIQUES
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
CLEARANCE
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISPERSIONS
DOMESTIC ANIMALS
GOLD ISOTOPES
HEAVY NUCLEI
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
MATERIALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PROTEINS
RADIOISOTOPES
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
VERTEBRATES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
551001* - Physiological Systems- Tracer Techniques