Table 1.

Comparison of optical techniques with sufficient temporal resolution to measure dynamic lymphatic vessel function.

	Isolated lymphatic vessel	Surgical preparation	Non-invasive imaging
In vivo	No	Yes	Yes
Ability to quantify vessel diameter changes	Yes	Yes	No
Permits longitudinal imaging	No	No	Yes
Able to measure cell interactions	Yes	Yes	No
Ability to accurately control pressure and flow	Yes	No	No
Entire microstructure around vessel remains intact	No	No	Yes
Ability to control molecular concentration around vessels	Yes	No	No