Major anatomic variations of the lateral upper arm lymphatic pathway in a healthy female population.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The lateral upper arm (LUA) pathway is a route of superficial lymphatic drainage that bypasses the axilla by draining to the deltopectoral, clavicular, and cervical lymph nodes. Despite the fact that anatomic variations of the LUA pathway have been implicated in breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) risk after axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), the incidence of the LUA pathway variations in the healthy population has never been reported.

Methods

Healthy female volunteers underwent bilateral lymphatic mapping of the upper extremities with indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography. ICG was injected in six standard sites in the hand/wrist and upper arm. Major anatomic variations of the LUA pathway were recorded including bundle phenotype (long, short, or absent), pr

SUBMITTER: Fanning JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12826541 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature