An exploration of the surgical modality of sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with cN0 tongue carcinoma: an animal study.

OBJECTIVE

Lymphatic mapping with vital dye is often exploited during a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB); however, the time restraints associated with blue dye may limit its efficacy in tongue carcinoma. Using an animal study, this exploration attempted to achieve a rational surgical modality to circumvent this hindrance.

STUDY

DESIGN

Forty-eight rabbits were divided into 2 equal groups: A and B; 0.2 mL methylene blue (MB) was injected into 4 parts of the tongues of the rabbits in A just after elevating the cervical flap and into the tongues of the rabbits in B just before the elevation. The times when the lymphatic vessel and lymph node turned blue and then returned pale were recorded.

RESULTS

Cases in group A had significantly more time left for tracing blue-stained lymphatic vessels than those in group B.

CONCLUSIONS

Elevating the cervical flap before injecting MB can alleviate the time restraint of MB as a lymphatic tracer in SLNB with tongue carcinoma.