[Changes in the lymphatic vessels of the upper extremity following a radical mastectomy (based on lymphographic data)].

The study group included 171 patients suffering from postmastectomy syndrome which had developed either after combined treatment for breast cancer or after radical mastectomy alone. Lymphographic examination of 146 cases carried out long after treatment for primary treatment revealed frequent roentgenologic features characteristic of all patterns of secondary obstructive lymphatic edema. In 20 patients, lymphographically-detectable changes were followed at early stages (until day 40 after radical mastectomy) before edema became clinically apparent. Radiation therapy and erysipelatous inflammation were shown to have an effect on lymphatic lesions.