It can be concluded that the success rate in the identification of axillary sentinel nodes may be higher when using the smaller particles, despite the similar visualization rate in lymphoscintigraphy. The number of harvested radioactive nodes was not affected by the particle size of the tracer in patients who avoided axillary clearance.

To assess clamping injury to the rat abdominal aorta, the activities of two oxidoreductases, lactate dehydrogenase (LD) and succinate dehydrogenase (SD), were estimated histochemically at various points in time after clamping the aorta for 30 min (group A) or 60 min (group B) with two kinds of microvascular clips. Areas of depressed LD and SD activity were found 3 days after surgery in group A and 1 day and 3 days after surgery in group B. The random, intermittent occurrence of the changes in enzyme activity within the time groups pointed to a mild trauma induced by the clips. At 1 week and thereafter, no changes in enzyme activities were observed in the aortic wall. Two different patterns of depressed enzyme activity were observed: One was a narrow zone without activity throughout the medial layer, and the other consisted of a broader area of depressed activity in the outer parts of the media. Occluding the aorta with a mosquito clamp led to tissue destruction and loss of enzyme activity in the injured area. This study shows that enzyme histochemistry provides nonquantitative methods to detect and localize microvascular injury and that the injury caused by the microvascular clips was mild and reversible.

In this study patients' and female doctors' opinions about harvesting sentinel nodes outside the axilla are evaluated and patients' ability to understand the concept of sentinel node biopsy is investigated. Information leaflets and questionnaires were mailed to 100 patients with breast cancer who had undergone sentinel node biopsy and to 300 female doctors. Seventy-three (73%) patients and 148 (49%) female doctors returned the questionnaire. Fifty-eight (79%) breast cancer patients and 71 (48%) female doctors wanted harvesting to be done in order to determine whether the nodes were involved. Sixty-six (90%) patients and 128 (86%) female doctors wanted the procedure if it changed the treatment. Sixty (82%) patients understood the outcome of the sentinel node procedure. Patients with breast cancer seem to value the information gained by harvesting sentinel nodes outside the axilla and want the procedure if there is even the slightest possibility that it might change the adjuvant treatment.

In order to evaluate the duration and localization of the metabolic changes elicited by the procedure of transplantation, the sequential changes in enzymatic activity of carotid artery grafts in rats were evaluated by histochemical demonstration of the activity of two oxidoreductases, lactate dehydrogenase (LD) and succinate dehydrogenase (SD), and two hydrolytic enzymes, adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) and alkaline phosphatase (AFOS). The most intense staining for ATPase, LD and SD was seen in the media, both in the grafts and in the adjacent carotid artery. The activity of AFOS was concentrated to the inner parts of the adventitia. The medial layer of the microarterial graft showed no obvious changes in enzyme activity during the observation period of four weeks. At the anastomoses, LD and SD showed decreased activity from day one onwards. No intimal thickening or other clear structural changes were seen in the grafts.