[Radionuclide visualization of the thoracic lymphatic duct in patients with stomach cancer]

Lymphoductoscintigraphy with colloid 113mIn was carried out in 24 gastric cancer patients prior to catheterization of the thoracic duct. The procedure provided perfect scintigraphic images of the duct in 15 cases, failed completely in 7 cases and terminal part of the duct was not visualized in 2 cases. During surgery, clinically undetectable involvement of lymph nodes in the left supraclavicular region was found in patients of the latter groups (4 and 1 cases, respectively). The results of radionuclide examination were confirmed by surgery in 23 out of 24 patients (95.8%).