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Thyroid Lymphosonography: A Novel Method For Evaluating Lymphatic Drainage., Joseph M. Curry, Waleed H. Ezzat, Daniel A. Merton, Barry B. Goldberg, David M. Cognetti, David Rosen, Edmund A. Pribitkin

Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated lymphosonography, or contrast-enhanced, ultrasonography (US)-guided sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection, as a technique for demonstrating the lymphatic drainage of the thyroid gland. METHODS: In this prospective animal study, four 50-kg Yorkshire swine underwent transcutaneous injection of a US contrast agent and methylene blue dye into the thyroid gland. Contrast-enhanced US was used to identify draining lymphatic channels and SLNs. Sentinel node biopsy was conducted. Subsequently, bilateral neck and upper mediastinal dissection was carried out. RESULTS: In 3 of 4 cases, a blue dye-positive and US contrast-positive SLN was identified. We identified SLNs in level IV in 2 …