Minilaparoscopy vs Standard Laparoscopy for Sentinel Node Dissection: A Pilot Study

Objective: To compare 3-mm minilaparoscopy and standard 5-mm laparoscopy for sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection in apparent early-stage endometrial cancer (EC). Design: Retrospective study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). Setting: Two academic research centers. Patients: Consecutive women with apparent early-stage EC who underwent surgical staging with SLN detection between November 2015 and April 2016. Interventions: The surgical approach was a total laparoscopic extrafascial hysterectomy plus bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and SLN detection. Systematic lymphadenectomy was performed in selected cases. In all patients, SLN detection was performed with cervical injection of indocyanine green and the use of an optical camera with a near-infrared high-intensity light source for detection of fluorescence imaging. All patients who underwent a minilaparoscopic approach (using one 5-mm scope and three 3-mm ancillary trocars) have been enrolled at the University of Insubria, whereas at the San Gerardo Hospital, standard laparoscopy was performed with one 10-mm scope and three 5-mm ancillary trocars. Measurements ad Main Results: A total of 38 patients were enrolled, including 15 (39.5%) in the 3-mm group and 23 (60.5%) in the 5-mm group. No between-group differences were found in terms of demographic and tumor characteristics. Bilateral SLNs were detected in 73.3% of the patients in the 3-mm group and in 73.9% in the 5-mm group. Operative time, blood loss, hemoglobin drop, hospital stay, and the incidence and severity of complications were similar in the 2 groups. One patient (4.3%) in the standard 5-mm group had a positive SLN result (a micrometastasis in the left external iliac SLN). No positive SLNs were detected in the 3-mm group. Conclusion: Minilaparoscopic SLN biopsy appears to be a promising and feasible technique for EC staging. Further research is warranted to investigate the possible benefits of 3-mm instruments in this specific setting.