Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
197,788 studies31 sourcesUpdated 46 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Journal of Clinical Medicine

Non-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Lymphography: Technical Approach Toward Protocol Standardization

  • Theodoros Chrelias1,2
  • Evangelos Dimakakos3,4,5
  • Konstantinos Samiotis6,7
  • Kalliopi Varaki8
  • Margarita Toumanidou3
  • Kyriaki Cholidou9
  • Urska Bregar5,10
  • Peter Marschang5,11
  • Chris Manu5,12
  • Nikolaos Michalopoulos2,13
  • Nikolaos Arkadopoulos2,14
  • Nikolaos Papadopoulos2,14
14 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Hospital Sud, University of Rennes, 35203 Rennes, France
  2. 2School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
  3. 3Center of Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Lymphedema—Lymphatic Diseases for Adults and Children, Metropolitan Hospital, 18547 Athens, Greece
  4. 4Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Nursing, University of West Attica, 12210 Athens, Greece
  5. 5VAS-European Independent Foundation in Angiology / Vascular Medicine, 20157 Milan, Italy
  6. 6Department of Medical Imaging, Metropolitan Hospital, 18547 Athens, Greece
  7. 7KSAM Medical Imaging Center Ltd., 2057 Nicosia, Cyprus
  8. 8Department of Radiology, Metropolitan Hospital, 18547 Piraeus, Greece
  9. 9First University Department of Respiratory Medicine, Thoracic Diseases General Hospital “Sotiria”, 11527 Athens, Greece
  10. 10Department of Vascular Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Zaloška cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
  11. 11Department of Internal Medicine, Central Hospital of Bolzano (SABES-ASDAA), 39100 Bolzano, Italy
  12. 12Department of Diabetic Foot Medicine, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK
  13. 131st Propaedeutic Department of Surgery, Hippokration General Hospital of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
  14. 144th Department of Surgery, Attikon University General Hospital, 12462 Athens, Greece
Open at sourceDOICite

Abstract

Background: Lymphedema is a chronic condition for which accurate imaging evaluation of the lymphatic system can contribute to diagnosis, disease assessment, and treatment planning. Non-contrast magnetic resonance lymphangiography (NCMRL) is an imaging technique that enables morphological visualization of lymphatic abnormalities without contrast agent administration. This technical report aims to describe the NCMRL protocol routinely implemented at our institution, with particular emphasis on lower-extremity imaging. Methods: The institutional NCMRL workflow performed on a 3 Tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is described, including patient positioning, three-station anatomical coverage, pulse sequence selection, acquisition parameters, geometric alignment, and image post-processing using segmental and panoramic maximum intensity projection (MIP) reconstructions. Results: The report documents the acquisition and post-processing workflow and illustrates its imaging output through representative clinical images. No systematic assessment of diagnostic accuracy, quantitative image quality, or examination success rates was performed. Conclusions: This technical report provides a structured description of an existing institutional NCMRL workflow for lower-extremity imaging. The documented approach may serve as a reference for future protocol optimization and standardization, while its reproducibility and broader clinical applicability require further evaluation.

Related

  1. Combined non-contrast enhancement 3D bright-blood and 2D black-blood coronary magnetic resonance angiography for the assessment of coronary artery stenosis
    Qiu-Ju Hu, Di Tian, Dong-Sheng Jin +7
    Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgeryPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textMedical imaging & radiologyEurope PMC
  2. Pelvic venous disorders: Objective hemodynamic signature from quantitative two-dimensional phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging
    Shih-Chung Wang, Chen-Yu Li, Chih-Chen Kao +9
    Journal of vascular surgery. Venous and lymphatic disordersPeer-reviewedCC BYFull textSurgery & anaesthesiaEurope PMC
  3. A pilot cohort study of blood brain barrier permeability in Alzheimer’s disease using dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging
    Beth Mary Stevens McCausland, Aravinthan Varatharaj, Nathan Thomas Matthew Huneke +10
    Scientific ReportsPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textNeurologyCrossref
  4. Assessment of left atrial native T1 values using non-contrast 3.0 T cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: a feasibility and reproducibility study.
    Nonthikorn Theerasuwipakorn, Nabhat Noparatkailas, Piyanun Sanguanwong +6
    BMC medical imagingPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textMedical imaging & radiologyEurope PMCPMC
  5. Left ventricular function and volumes from cardiac magnetic resonance and gated [13N]-ammonia positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with ischemia with no obstructive coronary arteries: a prospective head-to-head comparison using hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance
    Runze Wen, Qiang Xie, Ming Ni +5
    Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgeryPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textMedical imaging & radiologyEurope PMC

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{chrelias2026noncontrast,
  title = {{Non-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Lymphography: Technical Approach Toward Protocol Standardization}},
  author = {Theodoros Chrelias and Evangelos Dimakakos and Konstantinos Samiotis and Kalliopi Varaki and Margarita Toumanidou and Kyriaki Cholidou and Urska Bregar and Peter Marschang and Chris Manu and Nikolaos Michalopoulos and Nikolaos Arkadopoulos and Nikolaos Papadopoulos},
  journal = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.3390/jcm15218589},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8589},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Non-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Lymphography: Technical Approach Toward Protocol Standardization
AU  - Theodoros Chrelias
AU  - Evangelos Dimakakos
AU  - Konstantinos Samiotis
AU  - Kalliopi Varaki
AU  - Margarita Toumanidou
AU  - Kyriaki Cholidou
AU  - Urska Bregar
AU  - Peter Marschang
AU  - Chris Manu
AU  - Nikolaos Michalopoulos
AU  - Nikolaos Arkadopoulos
AU  - Nikolaos Papadopoulos
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/04
JO  - Journal of Clinical Medicine
DO  - 10.3390/jcm15218589
UR  - https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8589
AB  - Background: Lymphedema is a chronic condition for which accurate imaging evaluation of the lymphatic system can contribute to diagnosis, disease assessment, and treatment planning. Non-contrast magnetic resonance lymphangiography (NCMRL) is an imaging technique that enables morphological visualization of lymphatic abnormalities without contrast agent administration. This technical report aims to describe the NCMRL protocol routinely implemented at our institution, with particular emphasis on lower-extremity imaging. Methods: The institutional NCMRL workflow performed on a 3 Tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is described, including patient positioning, three-station anatomical coverage, pulse sequence selection, acquisition parameters, geometric alignment, and image post-processing using segmental and panoramic maximum intensity projection (MIP) reconstructions. Results: The report documents the acquisition and post-processing workflow and illustrates its imaging output through representative clinical images. No systematic assessment of diagnostic accuracy, quantitative image quality, or examination success rates was performed. Conclusions: This technical report provides a structured description of an existing institutional NCMRL workflow for lower-extremity imaging. The documented approach may serve as a reference for future protocol optimization and standardization, while its reproducibility and broader clinical applicability require further evaluation.
SN  - 2077-0383
ER  -