Sentinel lymph node detection by intranipple injection of patent blue dye in breast cancer: a preliminary report of a feasibility study.

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is a well established option for assessing axillary lymph node status in breast cancer. Several techniques have been applied so far (superficial or deeper ones). Based on anatomical features of the lymphatic drainage in the breast, we assessed the feasibility of an intranipple approach for SLN mapping. Our data support the feasibility of SLN detection by our technique, with a high rate of SLN identification, which could be used in clinical practice as an alternative to the peri-areolar approach.