🔍 Key Findings
- Lateral approach to ALN extirpation was successful in 100% of cases (44 dogs, 48 ALNs) with consistent anatomical landmarks (costochondral junction of rib 1 and caudal scapular edge).
- Median time for ALN removal was 16.6 minutes, highlighting a fast and efficient dissection method.
- No intraoperative complications were recorded (e.g., hemorrhage or inability to find the lymph node).
- Postoperative complications occurred in 18% of cases, including seromas (n=2), wound dehiscence (n=4), lameness (n=1), and discomfort (n=1).
- Histopathology revealed 56% of ALNs had tumor-related pathology, including overt metastases, early metastasis (HN2), or premetastatic changes (HN1).
- Normal-sized ALNs (<2 cm) still harbored metastases in 22% of cases, emphasizing the unreliability of size as a staging criterion.
- False negatives in cytology occurred in 4 cases, underlining the limitations of cytologic evaluation for staging.
- The technique was reproducible without specialized tools, suggesting wide applicability in general and referral practice.
