Laparoscopic Minimally Invasive Approach to Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping of the Ovary Using the Near-infrared Fluorescent S1 HD Pinpoint System with Indocyanine Green Dye

Study objective: To show a novel minimally invasive approach to sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection of the ovary with near-infrared-guided surgery using indocyanine green (ICG).

Design: A step by step description of the technique with video and figures (educational video).

Setting: The standard surgical staging of early-stage I-II ovarian cancer includes systematic pelvic and aortic lymphadenectomy even in the absence of clear evidence regarding the survival benefits associated with comprehensive retroperitoneal staging. The ideal candidates are all women undergoing a surgical approach with frozen section analysis for highly suspicious ovarian masses or patients in whom an adnexal mass has been removed that appeared to be malignant and an open or laparoscopic surgical staging procedure is planned.

Patient: A 31-year-old woman with occult ovarian cancer after simple left ovarian cystectomy.

Interventions: Laparoscopic surgical staging including simple hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, pelvic and aortic bilateral lymphadenectomy, and sentinel node biopsy from the left ovary.

Measurements and main results: The surgical intervention was performed with the PinPoint 0 degree HD S1 SPY fluorescence camera (PinPoint Endoscopic Fluorescence Imaging System; NOVADAQ, Mississauga, ON, Canada). After the induction of the pneumoperitoneum, ICG was injected with 2 separate injections in the proper ovarian ligament and the infundibulopelvic ligament, just below the peritoneum, at a concentration of 1.25 mg/mL. A total amount of 0.4 mL ICG solution was injected using a percutaneous abdominal approach with a 12-cm-long 22-G spinal needle. SLN mapping should be preceded by the exposure of the aortic region with a gentle dissection on both sides along the Toldt fascia up to the left renal vein. Two SLNs were identified in the left inframesenteric para-aortic and superficial left common areas. Both SLNs were negative.

Conclusion: The minimally invasive approach in combination with the ICG near-infrared fluorescence S1 PinPoint fluorescence system seems feasible, and, in our opinion, even if preliminary, this approach can further extend the range of indications of SLN mapping. In the future, this combined approach can prospectively involve ovarian SLN detection.