Management of Malignant Melanoma of the Head and Neck Using Dynamic Lymphoscintigraphy and Gamma Probe–Guided Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy

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Abstract
THE SENTINEL lymph node (SLN) biopsy is revolutionizing the surgical management of primary malignant melanoma. It allows accurate nodal staging, and targets patients who may benefit from regional lymphadenectomy and systemic therapy. The SLN concept was originally proposed by Morton et al1 and Wong et al2 and is defined as the first node in the regional basin that receives lymphatic drainage from the primary tumor. The ability of the pathological evaluation of the SLN to predict the status of the entire nodal basin has been confirmed by multiple reports.3-6