Abstract
Intrathoracic, abdominal and pelvic inflammations, infections and malignancies may spread along the lymphatic vessels cranially to the lymph nodes of the scalene fat pad. Its biopsy may make other more invasive procedures, such as mediastinoscopy, thoracoscopy, thoracotomy or laparoscopy, unnecessary. For staging of bronchogenic carcinoma, it is mainly indicated when there is involvement of the mediastinal lymph nodes. Stomach cancer and cancer of the cervix tend to metastasize to these nodes. For the latter, scale lymph node biopsy is especially indicated when there is evidence of para-aortic nodal involvement. With the introduction of computed tomography and positron emission tomography in clinical practice, scalene fat pad biopsy has been almost abandoned, but it should be considered among the available diagnostic and staging procedures if involvement of these nodes modifies therapy.
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Acknowledgment
We are indebted to Dr. Mario Jorge Branda, thoracic surgeon and historian, from the Cetrángalo Hospital, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for calling our attention to the procedure described by Dr. Alfonso R. Albanese and for providing copies of his original publications.
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Rami-Porta, R., Trujillo-Reyes, J.C., Saumench-Perramon, R. (2014). Scalene Fat Pad Biopsy. In: Zieliński, M., Rami-Porta, R. (eds) The Transcervical Approach in Thoracic Surgery. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54565-8_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-54565-8_1
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