The History of Radioguided Surgery: Early Historical Milestones and the Development of Later Innovative Clinical Applications

Abstract

Radioguided surgery involves utilizing a radiation detection device within the operating room in a real-time fashion to identify a radio-isotope that has been administered to a patient prior to the time of attempted detection and for the sole purpose of guiding the successful performance of the surgical procedure. Since its fi rst description in the late 1940s, radiogu-ided surgery has expanded tremendously and has become a well-established discipline within the practice of surgery. It has been investigated and applied to the surgical management of numerous solid malignancies and has most signifi cantly impacted upon the surgical management of breast cancer, melanoma, and parathyroid disease. Radioguided surgery provides the surgeon with critical and real-time information regarding the exact location of the disease and the overall extent of disease burden, as well as allows the surgeon to minimize the degree of surgical invasiveness associated with many commonplace diagnostic and therapeutic surgical procedures, while still maintaining maximum treatment-directed benefi ts to the patient. As we move forward through the twenty-fi rst century, we envision further growth of the current technological platforms of radioguided surgery, with a continued emphasis upon promoting integration of handheld radiation detection devices and advanced nuclear medicine molecular imaging