Characterization of Upper Extremity Lymphedema Following Breast Cancer Treatment Utilizing Diffusion Kurtosis MRI

Motivation: Lymphedema, a chronic condition with insufficient lymphatic drainage, lacks quantitative tools for severity assessment, especially in terms of tissue inflammation and fibrosis. Goal(s): To investigate diffusion MRI's role in quantitatively assessing lymphedema, focusing on its potential for preoperative planning and postoperative monitoring. Approach: The study utilizes multishot diffusion‐weighted echo planar imaging and derives diffusion metrics (MD, FA, MK) to assess tissue characteristics in normal subjects and lymphedema patients. Results: Compared with normal subjects, significantly higher MD and lower FA and MK are found in the outer regions of lymphedema patients, indicating the feasibility of diffusion MRI for diagnosing lymphedema and evaluating its severity. Impact: This study provides a quantitative approach to delineate the tissue characteristics of lymphedema by utilizing diffusion kurtosis MRI, enabling a more precise and non-invasive way to assess the severity, which could be potentially helpful to the surgical planning of lymphedema.