[Experimental study of cervical lymph node in thyroid by using radioactive nano tracer]

Area of Science:

• Nuclear medicine
• Oncology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is crucial for staging thyroid cancer.
• Optimizing radioactive tracers is essential for accurate SLNB.
• Understanding lymphatic drainage from the thyroid is key.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of different-sized radioactive nano tracers for thyroid lymphatic drainage.
• To determine optimal tracer size and dosage for SLNB in thyroid cancer.
• To provide experimental evidence for clinical application.

Main Methods:

• Radioactive nano tracers ((99m)Tc-Sb(2)S(3)) of 50, 80, and 100 nm were injected into rabbit thyroids.
• Two dosages (0.01 and 0.02 ml) were tested across six experimental groups.
• Radioactivity in cervical lymph nodes (LNs) was measured for number, initial, peak, and duration.

Main Results:

• 50 nm nano tracers showed significantly better initial and peak radioactivity times in LNs compared to 80 nm and 100 nm.
• Most identified lymph nodes were in Level VI (75.6%).
• Dosage (0.01 ml vs. 0.02 ml) did not significantly affect tracer uptake or duration for any particle size.

Conclusions:

• 50 nm (99m)Tc-Sb(2)S(3) nano tracers are effective for mapping thyroid lymphatic drainage.
• The optimal dosage for 50 nm tracers is 0.01 ml or 0.02 ml.
• These findings support the use of 50 nm tracers for SLNB in thyroid cancer patients.