Patent ID: 8609067

Claim:
A method of measuring lymph propulsion within lymphangions and lymph vessels comprising: a) administering a non-particulate fluorescent organic dye to a tissue that is drained by a lymph structure, wherein the dye is picked up and transited by lymph fluid through the lymph; b) illuminating the tissue surface adjacent to the lymph vessel with excitation light to excite the organic dye carried by the lymph fluid within lymphangions comprising the lymph vessels; c) repeatedly imaging the fluorescent light emitted by the organic dye for acquisition times of about 10 milliseconds to about 1 second, producing a series of single images, wherein said series of single images are collected over a period of about 1 second to about 30 minutes; and d) analyzing the images, wherein said analyzing comprises: (a) calculating a velocity for packets of dye carried by said lymph fluid pumped to sequential lymphangions; (b) calculating a propulsion frequency for the packets of dye pumped to individual lymphangions, and determining the rate of flow and frequency of propulsion of lymph fluid through the lymph structure.