PMC3598739_01
Physical examination of patient with axillary web syndrome. (A) Patient demonstrates axillary web syndrome in the left arm. Taut cords extending from the axilla to the medial arm are observed. The patient is unable to fully abduct her left shoulder. (B) Taut cords radiate to the upper outer quadrant of the breast. (C) Taut cords radiate to the thoracoabdominal wall.
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F1
A physical examination found visible and palpable cords (string-like) extending from the axilla to the medial arm on ipsilateral shoulder abduction (Figure 1A). During follow-up, the patient complained that the cords had extended to the elbow and the ipsilateral upper outer quadrant of the breast, and her thoracoabdominal wall was also involved (Figure 1B,C).
B-type ultrasonography of the cords extending from the axilla to the medial arm. (A) The cords under the axilla present Eco of a tube structure. (B) The cords in the medial arm present the echo of a tube structure. (C, D) Blood is observed in the tube structures of (A) and (B), respectively.
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F2
B-type ultrasonography indicated that the subcutaneous cords that radiated from the axilla to the medial arm presented an obvious blood flow signal on color Doppler flow imaging, which proved that the cord-like structure was a blood vessel (Figure 2A-D), whereas the cords that radiated to the breast and thoracoabdominal wall presented the same echo of subcutaneous tissue as the contralateral thoracoabdominal wall without cords.