ICG saved me!

ICG lymphography pin-pointed the cause of my lymphedema and lead me to find a surgical treatment/cure!

ICG stands for idocyanine green. Is is a green fluorescent dye that has been used in medicine for many decades. The ICG lymphography technique is safe and and does not involve exposure to radiation. This particular scan is more accurate, and much less invasive, than lymphoscintigraphy. In my experience, the lymphoscintigraphy lead to a misdiagnosis of the cause of my lymphedema. 

The dye is injected into the skin between your toes. The dye binds to a protein in the blood (albumin) and is collected by the lymphatic system and transported through the lymphatic vessels. Because the dye is fluorescent it can be tracked inside the body using an infrared camera.

So, how does this affect your lymphedema diagnosis? By mapping the lymphatic vessels using the fluorescent dye, doctors can locate which part of your lymphatic system is deficient or blocked. For me, it was the lymph nodes in my groin.

What does this mean for treatment options?
1) If there is a blockage or an obstruction in the vessels, you could have LVA (lymphaticovenous anastomosis) surgery to link the lymphatic vessels to the veins, this provides an alternate drainage pathway, thus bypassing the obstruction. 
2) If the blockage is in the lymph nodes, you could have a lymph node transfer, to replace the compromised lymph nodes.
3) If there is a reduced number of lymph vessels, lymph node transfer may be an option, as the new lymph nodes contain a growth factor which triggers the formation of new lymphatic ducts.
4) If surgery isn't an option for you, the lymphatic mapping is still useful because your MLD therapist can follow the most prominent lymphatic pathways in your body in order to optimise drainage.

Please let me know if you've had this technique done? And at which hospitals?