Is the Pressure from Blue Dye Cervical Injection Associated with Sentinel Lymph Node Detection in Laparoscopic Surgery for Endometrial Cancer?

Abstract Introduction Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has been proven to be a safe procedure in the treatment of endometrial cancer, and the instillment of a dye/marker in the cervix is the most used technique. Various studies have correlated the body mass index (BMI) impact as well as menopausal status and staging with the rate of lymph node detection, but few studies have evaluated if the high density of the cervix decreases detection. Objective To quantify the injection pressure of the marker in the uterine cervix and to correlate it with the sentinel lymph node detection rate in endometrial neoplasia. Materials and Methods Patients with endometrial cancer with programmed laparoscopic SLNB were selected to have the cervical injection pressure assessed. Immediately following the extraction of the uterus, saline solution was reapplied to measure injection pressure with a device attached to the syringe. We investigated the possible correlation of injection pressure with lymph node detection rate and the clinical data of the patients. Results A total of 18 women participated in the study; a correlation between injection pressure and lymph node detection rate was not identified, neither was greater injection pressure detected in smaller uteruses or cervices. The pressure of the deep injection is greater than that of the superficial one, but the more medial application, or more lateral in relation to the midpoint, does not alter the injection pressure. Conclusion The presence of greater resistance in the instillment of stain into the cervix was not associated with a lower lymph node detection rate.