title: A portable gamma-camera for intraoperative detection of sentinel nodes in the head and neck region.
abstract: We introduced and evaluated a portable gamma-camera for intraoperative visualization of sentinel nodes in the head and neck region.
  
  
  METHODS
  Planar lymphoscintigraphy and SPECT/CT were performed after peritumoral injection of (99m)Tc-nanocolloid in 25 patients (head and neck melanoma or oral cavity carcinoma). Sentinel nodes were localized intraoperatively with a portable gamma-camera and a hand-held gamma-probe. The portable gamma-camera was used to determine the distribution of remaining radioactivity after excision of the sentinel nodes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The portable gamma-camera visualized all 70 preoperatively identified sentinel nodes. Sentinel nodes at difficult sites could be localized more efficiently, and in 6 patients, 9 additional nodes (1 tumor-positive) were identified with the portable gamma-camera after excision.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intraoperative identification of sentinel nodes in the head and neck region with a portable gamma-camera is feasible and might lead to detection of more sentinel nodes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lenka
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vermeeren
authors.forename: Renato A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Valdés Olmos
authors.forename: W Martin C
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Klop
authors.forename: Alfons J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Balm
authors.forename: Michiel W M
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: van den Brekel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D015902:Gamma Cameras; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; C083602:technetium Tc 99m nanocolloid