A portable gamma-camera for intraoperative detection of sentinel nodes in the head and neck region.
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.
Vermeeren
Lenka
L
Department of Nuclear Medicine, Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Valdés Olmos
Renato A
RA
Klop
W Martin C
WM
Balm
Alfons J M
AJ
van den Brekel
Michiel W M
MW
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
D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; C083602:technetium Tc 99m nanocolloid