[Localization of sentinel lymph node with indirect lymphography and the application in head and neck tumor]

Whether the sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis has important clinical significance for the therapy and prognosis of tumor. Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has became the most accurate clinical method to confirm the status of sentinel lymph node. And the key of the success of SLNB is the localization of SLN. The methods used to locate SLN mainly are blue dye tracer method, radionuclide tracer technique, blue dye tracer method combined with radionuclide tracer technique, indirect lymphography, NIR imaging, and photoacoustic imaging. This article demonstrates the principle, application method and contrast agents of the indirect lymphography and the application in head and neck tumor.