ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a widely used technique for axillary staging in breast cancer patients. The principle to evaluate the axillary status of a breast cancer patient with a less invasive surgery than axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) meets the new minimally invasive concept in breast cancer surgery. Some breast cancer centers proceed to SLNB without ALND in SLN-negative patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between March 1998 and March 2002, 500 SLNBs were performed. After a learning period with SLNB and ALND in 75 patients with a sensitivity of 96.2% and a false-negative rate of 3.8%, SLNB alone without further ALND was performed in a group of patients. In addition, the feasibility of SLNBin patients with locally advanced breast cancer, in patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and in patients with multicentricity was evaluated. The combined method with blue dye and technetium-99m-labeled human albumin for identification of SLNs was applied. RESULTS: 500 SLNBs were performed. The identification rate was 86.2%. After exclusion of patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and patients with multicentricity, the identification rate was 94.5%. SLNs were positive in 41.3% of patients and negative in 58.7% of patients. DISCUSSION: SLNB is an excellent method for axillary stag-ing and an alternative for ALND in a certain group of breast cancer patients.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/pathology , Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/pathology , Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy , Axilla , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Breast Neoplasms/surgery , Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/drug therapy , Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast/surgery , Combined Modality Therapy , Feasibility Studies , Female , Humans , Lymph Node Excision , Lymph Nodes/pathology , Neoadjuvant Therapy , Neoplasm Staging , Predictive Value of Tests , Reproducibility of ResultsABSTRACT
We investigated 15 patients with unilateral facial paralysis using gadolinium(Gd)-DTPA (diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid) enhanced (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Eleven were idiopathic and 1 each was due to basal skill trauma, Lyme's disease, Foville's syndrome and herpes zoster oticus. Ten of 11 Bell's palsies showed a significant enhancement of the facial nerve on the paralysed side. In all cases enhancement was shown in the labyrinthine segment, in 9 in the meatal segment, in 8 in the mastoid segment and in 7 in the tympanic segment also. Follow-up Gd-enhanced MRI investigation was performed 3-11 months later in 8 patients. In 1 case with incomplete return of function after 3 months MRI enhancement was decreased. We could not find any correlation between the intensity of the Gd enhancement and the course, severity or outcome of Bell's palsy, or stapedius reflex audiometry. The mechanisms and aetiology of the Gd enhancement in Bell's palsy seem to be non-specific phenomena which are also found in post-traumatic facial lesions, for instance. Nevertheless, the ability to image the facial nerve in Bell's palsy provides a new means of examination in this disorder. In our opinion Gd-enhanced MRI is recommended in cases of recurrent or "atypical" Bell's palsy and in cases with total loss of electrical excitability, to exclude tumours. It is further suggested that MRI may provide valuable information concerning areas which may require surgical exploration or decompression.