Lymphoscintigraphy and sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma

The role of the sentinel node in the management of malignant melanoma is currently being investigated in specialist centres the world over. The methods employed in identifying the sentinel node(s) depend on the locally available human and technical resources. We describe a three-part technique commonly used by most established centres i.e. lymphoscintigraphy, vital blue dye injection and the use of intra-operative gamma probe.