title: Contribution of the portable gamma camera to detect the sentinel node in breast cancer during surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To show our experience using the portable gamma camera during surgery in the detection of the sentinel node in breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 46 women diagnosed with breast cancer were included. This study was carried out by means of the periareolar intradermal injection. Planar images and SPECT/CT were acquired. On the following day, the sentinel nodes were localized intraoperatively with a portable gamma camera and a gamma probe. Images of the anterior axillary line projection and lateral axillary line projection were acquired before and after extraction of all the sentinel nodes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The images acquired with the portable gamma-camera during the operation showed no activity in all of the patients after the removal of the sentinel nodes. In four out of the 46 cases, the portable gamma camera provided relevant information during the procedure (it detected a sentinel node in two cases in which it had not been detected prior to the surgery and it oriented the surgeon in the localization of low activity nodes when the probe screening had been negative).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of the intraoperative portable gamma camera to detect the sentinel node in breast cancer patients is useful in order to ensure, independently of the surgeon, that all the sentinel nodes have been removed. It can also help guide the surgeon in the event of a single low activity sentinel node.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Nuclear, Hospital Clínico San Carlos de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. jcardonaarbonies@gmail.com
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cardona-Arboniés
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mucientes-Rasilla
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moreno Elola-Olaso
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salazar-Andía
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Prieto-Soriano
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chicharo de Freitas
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Román-Santamaría
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Carreras-Delgado
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001365:Axilla; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D015902:Gamma Cameras; D006801:Humans; D007430:Intraoperative Care / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D013668:Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin; C083602:technetium Tc 99m nanocolloid