CASE REPORT article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Surgical Oncology
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1677050
This article is part of the Research TopicRedefining Care: Integrating Surgical Innovations and Precision Medicine in Breast Cancer TreatmentView all 6 articles
Microsurgical Treatment of Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema Under Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Guidance: A Case Report and Literature Review
Provisionally accepted
- Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
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【Abstract】Lymphedema remains a chronic and challenging condition with limited curative options. Recent advances have expanded treatment strategies from comprehensive conservative management to microsurgical interventions, particularly lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA). LVA is a physiological surgical method in which functional lymphatic vessels are connected to nearby subdermal venules, enabling lymphatic fluid to bypass obstructed pathways and drain into the venous circulation.The success of LVA depends heavily on the accurate preoperative assessment and localization of functional lymphatic vessels. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) offers a valuable, non-invasive tool for identifying deep lymphatic channels, enabling dynamic evaluation of lymphatic contractility, peristalsis, and lymph flow. Furthermore, CEUS facilitates the identification of appropriately sized recipient veins, thereby reducing operative complexity and shortening surgical duration. We report a case of secondary upper limb lymphedema following breast cancer surgery, in which LVA was successfully performed under CEUS guidance using supermicrosurgical techniques.
Keywords: breast cancer-related lymphedema, lymphaticovenous anastomosis, contrast-enhanced ultrasound, supermicrosurgery, Functional lymphatic mapping
Received: 31 Jul 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Huang, Chen, Xiao, Zhang, Liu, Liang and Liang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhongzeng Liang, 735967041@qq.com
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