PEDICLED VASCULARIZED LYMPH NODE TRANSFER TREATS LYMPHEDEMA IN RAT HIND LIMB: A SIMPLE EXPERIMENTAL STUDY DESIGN

IO Aydogdu, A Demir, MK Keles, O Yapici, L Yildizy, Y Demirtas

Abstract


Vascularized lymph node transfer is a
new and promising technique for the physiologic
treatment of lymphedema and several
clinical and experimental studies have been
conducted in recent years. However, the exact
mechanism of vascularized lymph node transfer
is still unknown. In this study, we aimed to
investigate treatment efficacy through the
design of a simple and feasible experimental
lymphedema model for testing a vascularized
lymph node transfer technique. After a pilot
study, 30 male Sprague-Dawley rats were
divided into two groups and lymphedema was
induced in the hindlimb of both groups. In
Group 1 (control) (n=15), no treatment was
applied while pedicled lymph node transfer
was applied in Group 2 (experiment) (n=15).
Model dynamics were assessed with lymphoscintigraphy,
limb measurement, and
histological analysis. A statistically significant
limb circumference reduction at the ankle
was seen on days 30 and 90 in Group 2
(24.4±1.05, 23.86±0.83mm) as compared to
Group 1 (25.93±1.38 and 25.4±1.12mm)
(p<0.05), and lymphatic tracer transport
improved in 13 out of the 15 animals in Group 2. A statistically significant reduction in histological scores was achieved in Group 2 (p<0.05). In this rat hindlimb lymphedema model, our vascularized lymph node transfer technique is an effective physiologic surgical treatment and represents a feasible experimental model for future studies.


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