Presurgical Ultrasound-Guided Anchor-Wire Marking of Soft Tissue Metastases in Stage III Melanoma Patients

Background. Due to increased sensitivity of diagnostic procedures, soft tissue metastases in melanoma patients are frequently detected very early. However, small sizes, deep location, or position close to vulnerable structures could render subsequent surgery quite difficult. Objective. To test the feasibility and effectiveness of presurgical ultrasound-guided anchor-wire marking of melanoma metastases. Methods. We selected melanoma patients with cytologically proven metastases in clinical stage III which were either unfavorably located or which have failed removal by previous surgery. Anchor-wire marking was performed ultrasound guided and free-hand style without the use of local anesthesia…