ABSTRACT
Sentinel lymph node biopsy has been an important part of breast cancer surgery,which includes reactive dye method,radionuclide method and the combination of both. However,the radionucli-ded tracer is not approved domestically,which limits its clinical application. Near-infrared fluorescent method depends on near-infrared light. It activates indocyanine green to produce fluorescence and then flu-orescent image device can be used to observe the lymphatic system,which is a real time and dynamic de-tection for lymphangion and lymph node. Furthermore,the definite incision site can be located,which less-ens the damage of tissues. The fluorescent method can avoid some disadvantages of the above methods. However,the shadowless lamp should be turned off during the operation,which prolongs the operation time. Due to the quenching effect,the brightness of fluorescence will attenuate and the detected depth will be limited. Combination of near-infrared fluorescence method and reactive dye method may improve the detection,but further large-scale clinical trials are required for confirmation.