Application of preoperative ultrasound combined with indocyanine green lymphography in lymphaticovenular anastomosis of the lower limb-A retrospective study research

Background We evaluated the application of preoperative ultrasound (US) combined with indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography in lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA) of the lower limb. Methods 66 patients with lower limb lymphedema were selected as study subjects and divided into research ( n = 35) and control groups ( n = 31). The patients were treated with LVA using ICG lymphography combined with US and simple ICG lymphography as the positioning method. The number of lymphatic vessels anastomosed, diameter, depth, and searching time were compared. Results The number of anastomotic lymphatic vessels in the research group was more than in the control group ( p < .05). Compared with the lymphatic vessels under ICG lymphography, the lymphatic vessels under US locating had less search time, larger diameter, and deeper depth ( p < .05). Conclusion US combined with ICG lymphography in preoperative can increase the number of lymphatic vessels and shorten the time to find lymphatic vessels.