title: Oblique view of preoperative lymphoscintigraphy improves detection of sentinel lymph nodes in esophageal cancer.
abstract: Because sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) of esophageal cancer can be widely located between the neck and the upper abdomen, lymphoscintigraphy plays an important role in their detection, but some modifications are required to clearly visualize their locations. Recently, we applied the stereoscopic imaging method by adding the 10-degree oblique view to the conventional lymphoscintigraphy for SLNs, so that we could better determine SLN locations on the basis of depth information. In this report, we describe a case in which the oblique view of the lymphoscintigram contributed to improving the visualization of a mediastinal SLN of esophageal cancer. Evaluation of the patient's chest CT image validated the notion that gamma rays from SLN are less absorbed by the surrounding soft tissues and the sternum in acquisition from the oblique view than from the true anterior view. The additional oblique view of the lymphoscintigram is useful for evaluation of the SLNs of esophageal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo.
authors.forename: Chikako
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.forename: Tadaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakahara
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yuzuru
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanami
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kitajima
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kubo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000379:methods*