The Use of Periareolar Topical Lidocaine Jelly After Needle Localization May Reduce Pain of Subsequent Lymphoscintigraphy.

Purpose Technetium Tc-99m sulfur colloid (99mTc-SC) breast lymphoscintigraphy is commonly performed to identify the sentinel lymph node (SLN) in patients diagnosed with breast carcinoma undergoing lumpectomy. The purpose of this report is to describe how the use of 2% topical lidocaine jelly immediately after the completion of needle localization and prior to scintigraphy may substantially reduce pain associated with the injection of 99mTc-SC. Materials and methods This was a quality improvement project.