title: Sentinel lymph node biopsy under fluorescent indocyanin green guidance: Initial experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sentinel lymph node biopsy can be applied by using either blue dye or radionuclide method or both in breast cancer. Fluorescent imaging with indocyanine green is a new defined method. This study evaluates the applicability of sentinel lymph node biopsy via fluorescent indocyanine green.
  
  
  METHODS
  IC-VIEW (Pulsion Medical Systems AG, Munich, Germany) infrared visualization system was used for imaging. Two mL of indocyanine green was injected to visualize sentinel lymph nodes. After injection, subcutaneous lymphatics were traced and sentinel lymph nodes were found with simultaneous imaging. Sentinel lymph nodes were excised under fluorescent light guidance, and excised lymph nodes were examined histopathologically. Patients with sentinel lymph node metastases underwent axillary dissection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four patients with sentinel lymph node biopsy due to breast cancer were included in the study. Sentinel lymph nodes were visualized with indocyanine green in all patients. The median number of excised sentinel lymph node was 2 (2-3). Two patients with lymph node metastasis underwent axillary dissection. No metastasis was detected in lymph nodes other than the sentinel nodes in patients with axillary dissection. There was no complication during and after the operation related to the method.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to our limited experience, sentinel lymph node biopsy under fluorescent indocyanine green guidance, which has an advantage of simultaneous visualization, is technically feasible.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Breast Diseases Service, İstanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aydoğan
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, İstanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Akif Enes
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Arıkan
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, İstanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erman
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aytaç
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, İstanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Velidedeoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, İstanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Halit
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, İstanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Muhammet Sait
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sager
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Breast Diseases Service, İstanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Varol
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Çelik
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Breast Diseases Service, İstanbul University, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cihan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Uras
keywords: Fluorescent light; indocyanine green; sentinel lymph node biopsy