Is there a failure of the lymphatic pumping mechanism in the swollen arm?
We proposed that the pumping action of lymphatic vessels in the arm fails following removal of lymph nodes. Resistance to lymph flow through the axilla then increases and lymph cannot escape from the arm so easily. Therefore, the lymphatic vessels have to work harder than normal and gradually fail.We measured the pumping force that the lymphatics can produce. Findings The pumping force of the lymphatic vessels was measured using a new technique we devised. This involved putting a blood pressure cuff around the upper arm and inflating it to establish what pressure the lymphatic vessels could overcome. A radioactive tracer was injected in the hand and its progression up the arm monitored with a gamma camera; the cuff was gradually deflated to see at what pressure the tracer reached the axilla. This was performed on the swollen arm of women with lymphoedema and on one arm of healthy participants for comparison. The results showed that the pressure the lymphatic vessels could generate was
