Liu Ying, Long Xiao, Guan Jinghong
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China.
Department of Plastic Surgery, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, Beijing, China.
Lymphat Res Biol. 2022 Feb;20(1):26-32. doi: 10.1089/lrb.2020.0065. Epub 2021 Mar 24.
To investigate the role of tissue dielectric constant (TDC) in the detection and assessment of breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) and to determine whether the TDC could potentially be used as a complementary method for arm volume measurement. Sixty-nine patients with BCRL were enrolled in this study. Local tissue water was assessed bilaterally by using the TDC method in four sites: upper arm, forearm, hand, and lateral thorax. Arm circumferences were measured at the 4-cm interval, starting from the shoulder to the wrist by using a tape measure. The arm volume was calculated by a standard formula. Patients' demographic information and clinical characteristics were also recorded. Fifty-one of the 69 patients were diagnosed with clinical lymphedema. Using a TDC ratio of 1.2 or a diagnostic reference standard of ≥2 cm arm circumference, the sensitivity of these two methods was found to be identical at 73.9%. The TDC values in four sites on the affected side were significantly higher ( < 0.05) relative to the unaffected side. The inter-side TDC ratio of upper arm and forearm was substantially higher than that of lateral thorax and hand ( < 0.05). The TDC ratio of upper arm, forearm, and hand, especially of the upper arm and forearm, was positively correlated with inter-limb volume difference and stage of lymphedema. The TDC method elucidated a meaningful clinical correlation to the arm volume measurement. Applying those two methods together showed promise in the detection and assessment of BCRL. The forearm and upper arm were reliable examination sites for TDC measurements in the clinic.
研究组织介电常数（TDC）在乳腺癌相关淋巴水肿（BCRL）检测和评估中的作用，并确定TDC是否有可能作为手臂体积测量的补充方法。本研究纳入了69例BCRL患者。通过TDC方法在四个部位双侧评估局部组织水分：上臂、前臂、手部和侧胸部。使用卷尺从肩部到手腕每隔4厘米测量一次手臂周长。通过标准公式计算手臂体积。还记录了患者的人口统计学信息和临床特征。69例患者中有51例被诊断为临床淋巴水肿。使用TDC比值1.2或诊断参考标准上臂周长≥2厘米，发现这两种方法的敏感性相同，均为73.9%。患侧四个部位的TDC值相对于未患侧显著更高（<0.05）。上臂和前臂的双侧TDC比值显著高于侧胸部和手部（<0.05）。上臂、前臂和手部的TDC比值，尤其是上臂和前臂的TDC比值，与肢体间体积差异和淋巴水肿分期呈正相关。TDC方法与手臂体积测量有显著的临床相关性。联合应用这两种方法在BCRL的检测和评估中显示出前景。前臂和上臂是临床上进行TDC测量的可靠检查部位。
