Abstract
Lymph is transported in part by intrinsic contraction of the lymphatic vessels. The failure of the transporting system may be associated with lymphedema. Using indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence lymphography and a transparent sphygmomanometer calf, we invented a novel method of measuring the pumping pressure of lymph propulsion (lymphatic pumping pressure; Plymph pump) in human legs. With this method, we recruited healthy volunteers and measured the leg Plymph pump in the participants. The results demonstrated a progressive decrease in Plymph pump with advancing age in both sexes. Next, we investigated the association of decreased Plymph pump with edema occurrence and their quality of life (QOL) using Short Form 36 (SF-36) in healthy volunteers. The survey revealed that the poor Plymph pump group (Plymph pump < 20 mmHg in both legs) had a significantly lower PF (physical function) and GH (general health) scores than the good Plymph pump group (Plymph pump > 40 mmHg in both legs). These results suggested that the value of Plymph pump may reflect the degenerative changes of lymph vessels due to lymphosclerosis and affect human QOL.
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Acknowledgments
We wish to thank all the staff of the Second Department of Surgery at the Hamamatsu University School of Medicine and Angiology Laboratory of Hamamatsu University School Hospital for their assistance and support in this study. The contents of this chapter summarize previous publications (reference nos. 8, 9, and 14). These studies were supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) (22591400) and (B) (20291958) to Naoki Unno from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The Hamamatsu University School of Medicine has a patent for the lymphatic pressure-measuring system and the method for controlling the same (PCT /JP2010/051706), and Naoki Unno invented in the patent.
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Unno, N. (2016). Lymphatic Pumping Pressure in the Legs and Its Association with Aging, Edema, and Quality of Life. In: Kusano, M., Kokudo, N., Toi, M., Kaibori, M. (eds) ICG Fluorescence Imaging and Navigation Surgery. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55528-5_42
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55528-5_42
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