The breast lesion excision system (BLES) A preliminary experience.

OBJECTIVE: BLES (Intact Breast lesion Excision System) is a new defined system which can remove the lesion completely. We aimed to evaluate and compare the results of BLES used for breast lesions requiring histological verification with other percutaneous biopsy methods in the literature. METHODS: Patients with breast lesions smaller than 20mm and for whom biopsy was indicated were involved in the study. 18(1 male, 17 female, mean age: 41. 83, age range: 26-72) patients were included the study. BLES is applied with a single insertion. Radiofrequency is used to excise the breast tissue after the insertion. Around the lesion, tissue capture basket is moved back and forth. Once captured, the basket and the probe is removed from the incision area. RESULTS: All of the lesions were excised en-bloc. The only complication occured was subdermal hematoma in one case (5.5%) which resolved spontenously. Pathological analysis of the specimens revealed 9 fibroadenoma, 3 fibroadenomatosis hyperplasia, 3 complicated and calcified cysts, 1 ductal epithelial hyperplasia, 1 carcinoma in situ with intraductal papillary carcinoma focus and 1 ductal carcinoma in situ with 2 mm invasive carcinoma focus. The last two cases underwent resection and sentinal lymph node procedure. CONCLUSION: BLES is a is non-invasive method which has no need for additional initiatives in benign cases, provide sufficient samples for pathological diagnosis and remove the lesion in one piece. BLES method can be applied in selected cases. KEY WORDS: Breast Lesion Excision System, Breast, Biopsy, Radiofrequency, Lesion.

Supernumerary ectopic parathyroid glands. Persistent hyperparathyroidism due to mediastinal parathyroid adenoma localized by preoperative single photon emission computed tomography and intraoperative gamma probe application.

Ectopic and/or supernumerary parathyroid glands are a major cause of persistent and recurrent Hyperparathyroidism (HPT). For this reason, it is widely accepted that preoperative localization should be performed to improve the surgical results in patients with persistent or recurrent HPT. Primary HPT (pHPT) was diagnosed incidentally in a 50-year old female patient during a preoperative examination for hernia. No pathologic parathyroid gland was detected in the preoperative Tc-99m Methoxybutylisonitrile (MIBI) scintigraphy and Ultrasonography (US). Cervical exploration was performed bilaterally. Four parathyroid glands were located adjacent to the thyroid gland. A fifth was detected in front of the cricoid cartilage. All five of them were of normal histology. Postoperatively, hypercalcemia persisted. Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) was performed before the second operation and radioguide surgery was carried out by median sternotomy. SPECT showed a parathyroid adenoma in the middle of the anterior mediastinum which was excised (size 1x0.5x0.5 cm) using a gamma probe. In conclusion, SPECT and intraoperative gamma probe application may help to detect the parathyroid adenomas, especially if they are small in size and buried in the adipose tissue. Such localization shortens the duration of the operation and reduces the possibility of complications.

Contribution of gamma probe-guided surgery to lateral approach completion thyroidectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of gamma probe performed with technetium Tc 99m-labeled pertechnetate in patients who underwent completion thyroidectomy after pathologic detection of incidental thyroid cancer following subtotal thyroidectomy. METHODS: In this prospective study, we evaluated findings from patients with multinodular goiter who underwent gamma probe-guided lateral approach completion thyroidectomy after the pathologic detection of incidental thyroid cancer following subtotal thyroidectomy where partial thyroid tissue was left unilaterally or bilaterally. Patients who underwent the procedure between January 2003 and January 2007 were included. Thyroid scintigraphy; thyroid and neck ultrasonography examinations; and concentrations of thyroid hormones, thyrotropin (TSH), thyroglobulin, and thyroglobulin antibodies were evaluated before the second operation. Patients were administered 3 mCi technetium Tc 99m pertechnetate during anaesthetic induction, and we extracted suspicious thyroid tissue and tissue with activity above background activity levels according to gamma probe. Extracted tissues were evaluated pathologically. RESULTS: Completion thyroidectomy was performed in 23 patients. Seventy-nine tissue samples were extracted; 49 were thyroid tissue and 30 were nonthyroid tissue. Mean thyroid tissue to background activity ratio (T:B) was 6.4 +/- 3.9 (range, 2-14.3), and mean thyroid bed (after excision) to background activity ratio (Tbed:B) was 1.2 +/- 0.2 (range, 0.8-1.7) (P = .001). Mean T:B and Tbed:B ratios of the nonthyroid tissue were 1.2 +/- 0.3 (range, 0.2-1.7) and 1.1 +/- 0.2 (range, 0.4-1.4), respectively (P = .001). The thyroid tissue T:B ratio was significantly higher than that of non-thyroid tissue (P<.001). Gamma probe labeling contributed to extraction of small amounts of thyroid tissue that could not be viewed by scintigraphy in 43% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Using gamma labeling, thyroid tissue shows significantly more activity than nonthyroid tissue. Gamma probe helps detect small, residual thyroid tissue that is buried in the scar tissue that cannot be distinguished by scintigraphy; therefore, it assists in the extraction of the maximum amount of thyroid tissue.

The safety and accuracy of sentinel-node biopsy in early-stage invasive breast cancer--Turkish experience.

The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the correlation of sentinel lymph node (SLN) and axillary lymph node (ALN) metastasis in early-stage invasive breast cancer in a single institution. One hundred and fifteen patients with early-stage invasive breast cancer first underwent SLND followed by an appropriate surgical procedure (modified radical mastectomy, lumpectomy + axillary dissection, simple mastectomy + mammoplasty). In this series, a radioactive agent (technetium) was used to investigate the sentinel lymph node/nodes. In 28 (24.3%) patients, metastases were found in both SLN and axillary dissections. There were no metastases in either of these procedures in 69 (60%) patients. SLN metastasis was found in 13 (11.3%) patients, but no axillary metastasis was found. No skip metastasis was detected. Five patients in whom the sentinel node was not found were also negative for axillary metastasis. As the studies progress in this direction, it might be possible to avoid axillary dissection in patients with early breast cancer in whom metastasis in SLN cannot be detected. We believe this will reduce morbidity from breast cancer surgeries.

The use of sentinel lymph node biopsy in squamous cell carcinoma of the foot: a case report.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common skin cancer in humans. Because the incidence of metastasis from SCC of the skin is rare, regional lymphadenectomy is generally not recommended for the patients with clinically node-negative disease. However, in patients with an intermediate and high risk of metastasis, evaluation of the lymph nodes to detect the absence of metastatic nodal disease is a difficult task. Here, we present a patient with a large SCC on the dorsum of the foot with clinically negative inguinal and popliteal lymph nodes. Intraoperative lymphatic mapping technique was used to make the decision of the inguinal node dissection. Two sentinel lymph nodes that were biopsy negative were found; therefore, only tumor excision was performed without adding complete inguinal node dissection. The defect was reconstructed with the free flap. After a 4-year carcinoma-free period, we determined that the pathology of the sentinel lymph nodes reflected that of the inguinal region. The use of selective lymphadenectomy technique in extremity SCC is very new. However, it might be useful in staging patients with SCC of the lower extremity by being able to detect absence or presence of occult metastatic nodal disease and avoid unnecessary complete inguinal node dissection.