Sentinel lymph node mapping of melanoma using technetium-99m phytate by a hybrid single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography

摘要

Sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy has become a widely accepted method of staging regional lymph nodes for patients with melanoma. Recently, a hybrid single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) was introduced to enable gamma cameras to capture precise anatomical structures on CT images. Technetium-99m phytate (99mTc-phytate) has been approved for lymph mapping in Japan. However, there have been few reports of its use. The aim of this study was to evaluate a lymphoscintigraphy protocol involving 99mTc-phytate by SPECT/CT.The study population comprised 10 patients. Six patients had a primary lesion on the trunk, two on the head and neck and two on an extremity. The number of SLNs identified per image by the early dynamic, delayed static (3-h late phase) and SPECT/CT techniques was compared by ANOVA, followed by Tukey's test and Bonferroni correction.