Initial Evaluation of Lymphosonography to Identify Sentinel Lymph Nodes in Cervical and Vulvar Cancer Patients

The objective of this pilot study was to identify sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) in cervical or vulvar cancer subjects scheduled for surgery using lymphosonography, comparing the findings with pathology. The contrast agent Sonazoid was administered subcutaneously around the tumor, and real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasound was performed to identify SLNs. Eleven SLNs were surgically excised, while lymphosonography identified 17 SLNs in 5 subjects. Comparing surgically excised SLNs and those identified by lymphosonography showed that 10 out of 11 SLNs (or 91%) were identified by lymphosonography. Lymphosonography identified all the benign SLNs and 2 out of the 3 malignant SLNs.