RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: With technical adaptations, recent studies showed SLNB could predict cervical nodes status of head and neck carcinoma with high accuracy. However, as for tongue carcinoma, such technical adaptations seem to be not enough because the tongue has peculiar characteristic which may demand a specific procedure for accurate lymphatic mapping. This investigation explored the effect of lingual septum on lymphatic mapping of tongue to provide data for achieving an accurate lymphatic mapping for managing early tongue carcinoma. METHODS: Four doses of Methylene Blue were injected into various parts of 64 rabbits' tongue, then diffusion range of Methylene Blue in tongue and sites of cervical nodes stained blue were noted. Finally, the tongues were resected for further histological examination and morphometric assessments. RESULTS: There was lingual septum in the tongue and the diffusing of Methylene Blue could be terminated by lingual septum. Blue-stained nodes were identified in 84 lateral necks of 60 rabbits. CONCLUSIONS: A site-specific way of lymphatic mapping relative to lingual septum should be developed for staging early tongue carcinoma.