Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using 99mTc-dextran to map mammary lymph nodes in female dogs
By Pereira, Camila Trevisan et al.·Published in Veterinary radiology & ultrasound : the official journal of the American College of Veterinary Radiology and the International Veterinary Radiology Association·2008·Department of Surgery, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: 99mTc-labeled dextran for mammary lymphoscintigraphy in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 25 young female mongrel dogs underwent a special imaging test called lymphoscintigraphy to study how their mammary glands drain lymph fluid. This test involved injecting a radioactive substance into the mammary glands to track the flow of lymph to different lymph nodes. The results showed that the lymphatic drainage patterns varied among the dogs, with most draining to specific lymph nodes in the chest and abdomen. This technique was found to be quick and easy to perform, suggesting it could be useful for future research on mammary health in dogs.
People also search for: dog mammary gland health · lymph node drainage in dogs · mammary lymphoscintigraphy for dogs
Abstract
Lymphoscintigraphy is the technique of choice for sentinel lymph node detection in women with early breast cancer, but there is limited information evaluating the value of this technique in animals. We investigated mammary lymphatic drainage in 25 young female mongrel dogs by intramammary injection of 18.5 MBq of 99mTc-dextran (70,000 Da). Lymph node anatomical referencing was obtained using an external marker, bone scintigraphy, or scintiscanning the body contour. Cranial and caudal thoracic mammary glands drained into the cranial sternal lymph node and axillary lymph center. The cranial thoracic mammary gland also drained into the superficial cervical lymph node in two of five animals. The cranial abdominal gland was drained by the axillary lymph center. The caudal abdominal mammary gland was drained by the superficial inguinal lymph node in all animals and simultaneously by medial iliac lymph nodes in four of five animals. In one dog, this mammary gland was also drained by the mediastinal and the superficial cervical lymph nodes. The inguinal mammary gland was drained by superficial inguinal lymph nodes and simultaneously via the medial iliac lymph node in one animal. Lymphatic communications between lymph nodes were identified in 11 of 25 (44%) animals. 99mTc-dextran mammary lymphoscintigraphy was easy and rapid to perform and may provide valuable information for further studies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18833961/