NM Lymphoscintigraphy

Overview- This test is used to find the sentinel node in patients with breast cancer or melanoma.

Preparation-
Your physician will let you know the prep depending if you will be going to surgery the same day following the exam.

Length of exam-
1 – 2 hours

How is the exam performed?
You will be lying on a table and the radiologist will inject a radioactive tracer in several places around the lesion. The camera will then move around your body taking several images of the area in question. The technologist will keep imaging until the sentinel node appears. At that point, the radiologist will come back in the room and mark the skin in several different views with a marker. The technologist will put a clear patch of tape over the markings for the surgeon.

Results-
Please contact your physician for the results of your test. The results will be available within a couple of days.

This page is intended for education purposes only. This should not replace medical advice from your physician. Please call your physician if you have medical questions concerning your health. For any questions about the procedure, please contact the radiology department.