Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026
Electromagnetic Navigation Transthoracic Nodule Localization for Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery
Published on: May 4, 2022
Usefulness and pitfall of Narrow band imaging combined with magnifying endoscopy for detecting an unknown head and
Takashi Masaki1, Chikatoshi Katada, Meijin Nakayama
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan. tamasaki@med.kitasato-u.ac.jp
Objective:
Cervical nodal metastasis from clinically undetectable primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) accounts for 1-2% of head and neck malignancies. We retrospectively evaluate the ability of Narrow band imaging combined with magnifying endoscopy (NBI-ME) to detect the primary sites of superficial SCC in the head and neck region.
Methods:
This was a report of 11 patients. We performed with NBI-ME to detect unknown primary sites in the head and neck.
Results:
Among 11 patients, primary sites were detected in eight. Primary sites were detected in the head and neck in 6 (54.5%) of 11 patients on NBI-ME, all 6 primary lesions were a flat lesion. Two patients in whom primary lesions could not be detected on NBI-ME, one had submucosal tumor like lesion, the other featured by a detectable primary lesion 19 months after neck dissection.
Conclusion:
NBI-ME can be recommended as an essential procedure for the detection of primary lesions in patients with primary unknown cervical lymph node metastasis.
