Incidental findings on single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) lymphoscintigraphy in breast cancer: the proposed Westmead SPECT/CT incidental findings classification.

Background: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of incidental radiological findings detected on SPECT/CT performed as part of pre-operative lymphoscintigraphy for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery and development of a modified classification to workup these lesions.

Methods: A retrospective audit was performed of all SPECT/CT performed in combination with lymphoscintigrams in breast cancer patients presenting with clinically node negative axillae and operated on by breast surgeons at the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute over a 12-month period.

Results: Four hundred and nineteen patients were included in the study.