Coaxial projective imaging for sentinel lymph node mapping in melanoma

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is recommended to identify micrometastasis for stage T1b or greater primary cutaneous melanoma, which impacts prognosis and adjuvant therapy recommendations.1 SLNB requires preoperative or intraoperative lymphatic mapping. The most common methods are vital blue dyes, gamma probe, 99m-technetium (99mTc), and indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging. However, vital blue dyes are unsuitable as the sole mapping agent because they are not evident until lymph nodes are surgically exposed.