G. Margolin et al., Localization of sentinel nodes in head and neck tumours by combined lymphoscintigraphy and bone scintigraphy, NUCL MED C, 22(10), 2001, pp. 1095-1099
Sentinel node scintigraphy in tumours of the head arid neck region was comb
ined with bone scintigraphy to provide anatomical landmarks in order to bet
ter locate the lymph node uptake. Tc-99(m)-nanocolloid (40 MBq) was injecte
d in the peritumour region 1 h after the administration of bone-seeking Tc-
99(m)- methylene diphosphonate (200 MBq). After 5 min, A-P and lateral proj
ections of the head and neck region were acquired. In all the 26 patients e
xamined, the surrounding anatomy was clearly depicted. In 23 patients, the
lymphatic drainage was identified within 30 min. In these patients, all hot
spots appearing outside the deposited activity could be located according
to the neck region classification system of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Ho
spital. No lymphatic drainage was visualized in the remaining three patient
s. The injection of bone-seeking activity 1 h before deposition of the radi
ocolloid provided ima,soft tissues as well as skeletal structures, thus imp
roving the topical diagnosis. Correlation with the results of surgery was n
ot performed, The administration of a small amount of bone-seeking activity
prior to sentinel node scintigraphy of head and neck tumours improves the
anatomical localization of the lymph node activity. ((C) 2001 Lippincott Wi
lliams & Wilkins).