Related Experiment Video For Bladder cancer
Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Multispectral Real-time Fluorescence Imaging for Intraoperative Detection of the Sentinel Lymph Node in Gynecologic Oncology
Published on: October 20, 2010
Fluorescent Versus Radioguided Lymph Node Mapping in Bladder Cancer
Wojciech Polom1, Marcin Markuszewski1, Wojciech Cytawa2
1Urology Department, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
Introduction:
The aim of the study was to compare 2 methods of the sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) procedure in bladder cancer: we applied technetium radiocolloid (RadCol) detected by a gamma ray detection probe, and indocyanine green (ICG) detected by a near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) camera.
Material And Methods:
The SLNB was performed on 50 patients using the RadCol and the ICG, followed by a lymphadenectomy and a pathologic examination.
Results:
In the analyzed group of 47 patients (3 patients were excluded owing to the lack of lymphatic drainage from the tumor), the SLNB was performed using the 2 methods. The ICG with a NIRF-guided camera detected all sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in 46 cases, whereas RadCol detected them in 45 cases. In 12 (25.6%) of 47 patients, the ICG-fluorescent method revealed more SLNs than the RadCol method. In 8 (17%) patients, the SLNs revealed in the ICG fluorescence were metastatic. In 3 (6.4%) patients, we found SLNs outside the standard lymphadenectomy template, but a histopathologic examination showed they were negative for cancer. In 3 (6.4%) patients, the SLNs detected by both methods were negative for cancer, but other resected lymph nodes revealed metastases.
Conclusion:
Our study shows that SLNB procedure with the RadCol or the ICG method is useful for the evaluation of lymph nodes in bladder cancer. The new ICG fluorescent technique with a NIRF camera system is safe, enables live view of the results of the procedure, and does not create additional costs. However, it highlights more lymph nodes than the radioactive method.

