Patient and Tumor Characteristics
| Characteristic | Overall, 1993–2016 (n = 277) | Group 1, lymphoscintigraphy, 1993–2005 (n = 30) | Group 2, SPECT/CT, 2006–2007 (n = 15) | Group 3, portable γ-camera, 2008–2009 (n = 40) | Group 4, hybrid tracer, 2010–2016 (n = 192) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 59 (IQR, 46–68) | 49 (IQR, 39–62) | 53 (IQR, 45–66) | 54 (IQR, 45–68) | 60 (IQR, 50–70) | 0.007* |
| Breslow thickness | 2.2 (IQR, 1.5–3.6) | 3.0 (IQR, 1.8–4.9) | 2.9 (IQR, 1.9–6.0) | 2.2 (IQR, 1.5–3.4) | 2.0 (IQR, 1.4–3.5) | 0.003* |
| Mean excised SNs (n) | 3.8 (CI, 3.5–4.1) | 2.8 (CI, 2.0–3.5) | 2.5 (CI, 1.9–3.2) | 3.3 (CI, 2.7–3.8) | 4.2 (CI, 3.8–4.6) | 0.003* |
| Mean tumor-positive SNs (n) | 1.5 (CI, 1.3–1.7) | 1.8 (CI, 0.9–2.7) | 1.3 (CI, 0–2.0) | 1.2 (CI, 0.7–1.6) | 1.5 (CI, 1.2–1.7) | 0.90* |
| Median operation time (min) | 115 (IQR, 87–153) | 118 (IQR, 96–149) | 149 (IQR, 90–164) | 98 (IQR, 77–142) | 115 (89–154) | 0.74* |
| Median time per SN (min) | 38 (IQR, 25–54) | 51 (IQR, 33–71) | 54 (IQR, 39–66) | 40 (IQR, 30–51) | 34 (IQR, 22–51) | 0.017* |
| Complications (n) | 12 (4.3%) | 2 (7.1%) | 1 (7.1%) | 3 (8.1%) | 6 (3.1%) | 0.49† |
| Surgeons (n) | 14 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 10 | NA |
| Median follow-up (mo) | 41 (IQR, 25–65) | 85 (IQR, 31–138) | 106 (IQR, 65–125) | 69 (IQR, 53–88) | 35 (IQR, 22–53) | NA |