Ulnar distribution pattern may be predominant in upper extremity lymphatic malformations

Abstract

The locoregional distribution patterns of lymphatic malformations (LM) in the upper extremity have not been described in the scientific literature. Twelve patients were diagnosed with a LM in their upper extremities between 1998 and 2021 at our center. In all cases, these were isolated malformations. Nine patients (75%) presented an ulnar distribution pattern of the LM, two (16.7%) presented a radial distribution pattern, and one (8.3%) presented involvement of both territories. We found no statistically significant differences in any sociodemographic or clinical variable between patients with ulnar or radial LM distribution patterns. In this work, we found that the ulnar distribution pattern was more frequent than the radial distribution pattern in upper extremity LM. Furthermore, we observed that LM in the radial territory appeared as lesions limited to the distal segment of the upper limb (thumb and distal radius). This is a small retrospective case series and therefore, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Larger sample size studies are necessary to validate and characterize this finding.