Safety and feasibility of performing sentinel lymph node biopsy for periorbital malignancies at freestanding outpatient surgical centers.

PURPOSE: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is vital for stratifying and treating facial and periorbital malignancies, but data on SLNB performed in freestanding outpatient surgical centers (OSC) is scarce.

METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted on 79 consecutive SLNB procedures from September 2014 to November 2022 at an academic hospital (46 cases) and OSCs (33 cases) affiliated with our institution. We compared demographics, clinical characteristics, wait time, operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), and complications.

RESULTS

Patients at OSCs were younger (mean age 62 vs. 73, p < 0.001) and had lower perioperative risk (ASA score 2.18 vs. 2.71, p < 0.001) than those in a hospital setting. SLNB procedures at OSCs were shorter (73 vs. 113 minutes, p < 0.001) with significantly less EBL (11.48 mL vs. 45.53 mL, p = 0.03), and no complications.

CONCLUSIONS

SLNB procedures for eligible patients are safe and effective when performed at freestanding outpatient surgical centers affiliated with our institution.