Paper
24 February 2009 In vivo photoacoustic (PA) mapping of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a contrast agent
Manojit Pramanik, Kwang Hyun Song, Magdalena Swierczewska, Danielle Green, Balaji Sitharaman, Lihong V. Wang
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), a less invasive alternative to axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), is routinely used in clinic for staging breast cancer. In SLNB, lymphatic mapping with radio-labeled sulfur colloid and/or blue dye helps identify the sentinel lymph node (SLN), which is most likely to contain metastatic breast cancer. Even though SLNB, using both methylene blue and radioactive tracers, has a high identification rate, it still relies on an invasive surgical procedure, with associated morbidity. In this study, we have demonstrated a non-invasive single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)-enhanced photoacoustic (PA) identification of SLN in a rat model. We have used single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as a photoacoustic contrast agent to map non-invasively the sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in a rat model in vivo. We were able to identify the SLN non-invasively with high contrast to noise ratio (~90) and high resolution (~500 μm). Due to the broad photoacoustic spectrum of these nanotubes in the near infrared wavelength window we could easily choose a suitable light wavelength to maximize the imaging depth. Our results suggest that this technology could be a useful clinical tool, allowing clinicians to identify SLNs non-invasively in vivo. In the future, these contrast agents could be functionalized to do molecular photoacoustic imaging.
© (2009) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Manojit Pramanik, Kwang Hyun Song, Magdalena Swierczewska, Danielle Green, Balaji Sitharaman, and Lihong V. Wang "In vivo photoacoustic (PA) mapping of sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a contrast agent", Proc. SPIE 7177, Photons Plus Ultrasound: Imaging and Sensing 2009, 71771N (24 February 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.808522
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Cited by 3 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Single walled carbon nanotubes

Blood

Lymphatic system

Photoacoustic spectroscopy

In vivo imaging

Carbon nanotubes

Breast cancer

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