PURPOSE The importance of gamma probe detection (GPD) combined with vital dye for sentinel node (SN) biopsy is well accepted. We evaluated the efficacy of patent blue dye (PBD) in identifying inguinal SN. METHODS Ninety-four cutaneous melanoma patients with inferior extremity lesions were submitted to SNB according to a established protocol. Patients were randomized in two groups: Blue group,...

The head and neck region, and especially the ear and its helix, is notorious for its ambiguous pattern of lymphatic drainage. Therefore, the primary nodal drainage basins in melanoma of the helix of the ear are often unpredictable. The aim of the study was to examine the value of sentinel lymph node biopsy in melanoma of the helix of the ear and to describe the natural history of the disease. F...

OBJECTIVES A new diagnostic imaging technique that can assess lymph function is needed as a screening test in daily practice. This study assessed the use of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence lymphography in subjects without leg oedema. METHODS 0.3ml of ICG (0.5 %) was injected subcutaneously at the dorsum of the foot. Subsequently, the movement of ICG dye from the injection site to the gro...

UNLABELLED We have developed a practice procedure for prostate lymphoscintigraphy using SPECT/CT and filtered (99m)Tc-sulfur nanocolloid, as an alternative to the proprietary product (99m)Tc-Nanocoll, which is not approved in the United States. METHODS Ten patients were enrolled for this study, and all received radiotracer prepared using a 100-nm membrane filter at a commercial radiopharmacy....

UNLABELLED In squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, staging of the neck cannot rule out occult metastatic disease. An improved staging is necessary to avoid elective neck dissection in patients staged as N0. The study was performed to determine the feasibility of the detection of occult metastatic disease by ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (USgFNAC) of sentinel lymph n...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the validity of quantitative lymphoscintigraphy as a useful lymphedema assessment tool for patients with breast cancer surgery including axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). METHODS We recruited 72 patients with lymphedema after breast cancer surgery that included ALND. Circumferences in their upper limbs were measured in five areas: 15 cm proximal to the lateral epico...

BACKGROUND The prognostic significance of multiple draining basins is controversial in melanoma because analyses have not adequately controlled for standard prognostic variables. We hypothesized that an analysis based on prognostically matched pairs of patients with multiple versus single drainage basins would clarify any independent role of basin number. STUDY DESIGN We identified patients i...

Lymphedema is the progressive enlargement of tissue due to inadequate lymphatic function. Obesity-induced lymphedema of the lower extremities can occur once a patient's body mass index (BMI) exceeds 50. We report our first patient with obesity-induced lower extremity lymphedema who was followed prospectively before and after weight loss. A 46-year-old woman with a BMI of 80 presented to our Lym...

OBJECTIVE To describe the preoperative upper limb lymphoscintigraphic pattern in women with breast cancer. METHODS Thirty-seven patients undergoing lymphoscintigraphy within 30 days of surgery were investigated. Lymphoscintigraphic studies of 37 upper limbs ipsilateral to surgery and 32 contralateral upper limbs were performed. The examination protocol consisted in obtaining static images of ...

Objective The aim of this study was to establish the effectiveness of sentinel lymph node biopsy in the detection of metastasis in N0 necks of T1-T2 early-stage oral cavity cancers. Materials and Methods Twenty neck dissections were performed in 18 patients diagnosed with T1 and T2 oral cavity cancer, with an indication for elective neck dissection between November 2007 and January 2011. The ...