Sentinel Node Detection in Head and Neck Malignancies: Innovations in Radioguided Surgery
Figure 4
Localization and postexcision monitoring. Continuous monitoring (a) provides the possibility to record the whole procedure. With stepwise monitoring (b), the sentinel nodes are localized first, then excision takes place, and afterwards the portable gamma camera is used to screen for remaining activity. The laser pointer is positioned above the previous marked sentinel node level and the camera displays the technetium-signal (c), indicating that the node is located just right from the laser pointer. The portable gamma camera can also give an overview of the surgical field (d). It shows the injection area with a sentinel node located more caudally. After excision, the camera clearly shows no remaining radioactivity (d).
