Technical aspects of sentinel node lymphoscintigraphy for breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE A significant morbidity risk is associated with axillary nodal dissections for breast cancer. Many treatment decisions are based on axillary nodal status. Lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy have been investigated to determine if the histology of the sentinel node reflects the remaining lymph node basin. We describe the technical aspects of sentinel node lymphoscintigraphy for breast cancer. METHODS Ninety-three patients had lymphoscintigraphy for breast cancer. Patients with palpable lesions had 4 concentric injections around the site and lesions requiring localization had injections made through tubing connected to the localizing wire introducer needle. Immediate static images were acquired and the sentinel node was marked for surgery. Marks were reverified using a handheld gamma probe. RESULTS Lymph nodes were visualized by lymphoscintigraphy in 87% of cases. Time to visualization of lymph nodes ranged from 1-120 min with a mean of 28 min. An average of 1.5 nodes were visualized. The overall success rate for identifying the sentinel node at time of surgery was 85%. CONCLUSION We conclude that lymphoscintigraphy for breast cancer is a detailed procedure that requires coordination with radiology and surgery teams to ensure proper identification of sentinel lymph nodes.