The Clinical Value of Lymphangiography: Are the Nodes Surrounding the Obturator Nerve Visualized?

Abstract
Patients (25) subjected to pelvic node dissection for urologic malignancies underwent bilateral pedal lymphangiography preoperatively. Postoperatively, 50 samples of the nodes selectively removed from the regions surrounding the obturator nerve were radiographed. All 50 samples revealed the presence of radiopaque dye. The lymph nodes surrounding the obturator nerve represent the 1st point of lymphatic metastases in carcinoma of the prostate and bladder. Their visualization by lymphangiography emphasizes the importance of such a diagnostic study for the correct clinical staging of these diseases. The lymphatic anatomy of the pelvis is reviewed and compared to the radiological findings in lymphangiography.