Sentinel node biopsy has emerged recently as an alternative to routine axillary node dissection in predicting axillary nodal metastasis. However there have been some controversies in clinical application because of its various identification rates and false negative rates. We present the usefulness of dye-guided endoscopic sentinel node biopsy.

Between October 2002 and June 2003, 30 breast cancer patients with clinically node negative results underwent endoscopic blue dye-guided sentinel node biopsy from the Department of Surgery at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. The technique involved the injection of 5 ml of 1% isosulfan blue into subareolar plexus. The Visiport docked with Telescope was inserted through a low transverse axillary incison lateral to pectoralis major. During the dissection, we identified sentinel nodes by following bluestained lymphatics directly into blue (or nonblue) lymph nodes. The identification rate and false negative rate was evaluated.

The mean number of sentinel nodes was 2.2. The identification rate of th sentinel node was 93.3% (28/30). Among 22 patients with negative sentinel nodes on frozen section, 10 patients underwent axillary node dissection and the results were negative in all cases, indicating false negative rate of 0% (0/10). The overall accuracy, sensitivity and specificity were 100%.

The endoscopic technique of sentinel node biopsy can minimize the operative bleeding by handling the knife of Visiport pallelel to exposed vessels under endoscopic monitor analysis and and keep better operative visual field and less invasiveness. With the bright illumination of the endoscopic light, blue-stained sentinel lymphatics could be identified more easily. Our technique of dye-guided endoscopic sentinel node biopsy demonstrates a high sentinel node identification rate and absent false negative rate, promising it could be an alternative to the classic sentinel node biopsy.