HOW IS A SENTINEL NODE BIOPSY PERFORMED?
Remember that the lymphatic system is part of the circulatory system and microscopic in proportion. In order to identify the precise anatomy of this system, some type of marker or brilliantly-colored dye has to be injected into the breast near the tumor site and followed as the component parts of this microvascular tree fill. Ultimately the lymph nodes under the arm pick up whatever tracer has been injected into the breast. At Presbyterian Hospital we employ first a RADIO-ISOTOPE which is injected into the breast a few hours before scheduled surgery in the Department of Nuclear Medicine AND secondly a neon-BLUE DYE which is used intra-operatively. I use both techniques currently to identify the first or first few nodes demonstrated in the axilla. Research has shown that when one or both techniques are successful, then we can be confident that the “sentinel” lymph node has been identified. It is common to identify more than one node by either its radio-active signal or by the characteri
