EFFECT OF LATERALIZATION AND HANDEDNESS ON THE FUNCTION OF THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM OF THE UPPER LIMBS

Abstract

In the upper limbs (UL), lateralization orhandedness coincides with functional (and/oranatomical) asymmetries. Scintigraphic techniqueswere used to investigate the functionof the UL lymphatic system and to determinewhether significant differences exist betweenright and left limbs. With limbs at rest, 99mTclabeledHSA nanosized colloids were injectedintradermally into the forearms in 19 volunteers.Activities in the axillary nodes wererecorded 1 minute later, then every 20 minutesup to100 minutes later and reported as perten thousands of injected activity. Whencomparing right injections to left injections,no significant difference was found using anunpaired statistical test. However, with pairedt-tests, axillary node activity (mean ± SD) wassignificantly higher when the right limb wasinjected than when the left limb was injected,both overall (n=19) (at 100 minutes: 454 ± 88versus 299 ± 45: p=0.014) and when the 13right-handed cases were analyzed separately(501 ± 116 versus 285 ± 65: p=0.004). Nodifference was found for the six left-handedvolunteers. Our results demonstrate, at leastin the right handed subjects, the functionalasymmetry of the superficial lymphatic systemof the right and left upper limbs.