GUIDELINE
림프부종 평가를 위한 림프신티그라피: 대한핵의학회/대한림프부종학회 시행/판독 지침 2부
서민석1,*, 한상원2,*, 유민영3, 채선영4, 최준영5,*
Lymphoscintigraphy in Lymphedema: Procedure and Interpretation Guideline by the Korean Society of Nuclear Medicine and Korean Society of Lymphedema Part II
Minseok Suh1,*, Sangwon Han2,*, Min Young Yoo3, Sun Young Chae4, Joon Young Choi5,*
1Departments of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
2Department of Nuclear Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
3Department of Nuclear Medicine, Inha University, College of Medicine, Incheon, Republic of Korea
4Department of Nuclear Medicine, Uijeongbu Eulji Medical Center, Eulji University School of Medicine, Uijeongbu-si, Republic of Korea
5Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
*Address for correspondence:
Joon Young Choi, MD, PhD, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, 06351 Seoul, Republic of Korea, Tel: +82-2-3410-2648, Fax: +82-2-3410-2639, E-mail:
jynm.choi@samsung.com
These authors contributed equally to this work
ⓒ Copyright 2026 Korean Society of Lymphology and Lymphedema. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Received: Apr 14, 2025; Accepted: May 10, 2025
Published Online: May 17, 2025
Abatract
Lymphoscintigraphy is a non-invasive nuclear medicine imaging technique widely utilized in diagnosing and assessing lymphedema by visualizing lymphatic function after subcutaneous injection of radiopharmaceuticals. Accurate interpretation of lymphoscintigraphy is essential, as it directly impacts clinical decision-making, patient prognosis prediction, and assessment of therapeutic response. However, variability in interpretation criteria and quantitative assessments among institutions has led to inconsistency in clinical application and challenges in treatment planning. To address these issues, the Korean Society of Nuclear Medicine and the Korean Society of Lymphedema have collaboratively developed a procedure and interpretation guideline, reflecting current clinical practices and the availability of 99mTc-phytate in the Republic of Korea. This guideline specifically focuses on the standardized qualitative and quantitative criteria for lymphoscintigraphic interpretation, outlines normal and abnormal imaging findings, and discusses interpretation standards according to clinical indication followed by previous Part I. Adoption of this guideline aims to improve the consistency of interpretations, facilitate more effective clinical management strategies, and ultimately enhance the quality of care provided to patients with lymphedema.
Keywords: Lymphoscintigraphy; Lymphedema; Guideline; Gamma Camera; 99mTc-phytate