ALND Surgery Website
Although axillary lymph node dissection is slowly being replaced with the sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) procedure, it is still necessary in treating patients with advanced breast cancer. As ALND cases decline, it becomes more difficult for surgical residents to learn the procedure by direct observation. Therefore, a short 3D animation was created that depicts the general flow of the surgery.
The ALND Surgery website contains a 9 ½ minute 3-D animation divided into six chapters which provides an overview of the anatomical and surgical aspects of the axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) procedure.
Axillary Lymph Node Dissection
Click on the image to open the Axillary Lymph Node Dissection Website.
This project was designed to augment surgical residents' understanding of the anatomy of the axilla, as well as the surgical approaches to isolate and excise the axillary fat and lymph nodes.
The first two sections describe the anatomy of the axillary region and cover the initial incision in the surgery. The videos move on to show how to find and preserve the axillary vein, thoracodorsal bundle and long thoracic nerve. The final section of the website covers the axillary apex, dissection of the level I and II nodes, and wound closure.
