Objectives: To determine the feasibility of sentinal lymph node (SN) radiolocalization and to assess the costeffectiveness of the SN navigation surgery strategy in patients with stage N0 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck. Patients: Eleven consecutive patients with stage N0 SCC of the head and neck. Methods: Head and neck lymphoscintigraphy was performed 2 hours after the injection of technetium Tc 99m tin colloid or phytate. A handheld gamma probe was used to detect the SN

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... e and directly after making a skin incision. Nodes were evaluated histopathologically for micrometastasis. To determine the expected cost savings, a decision tree sensitivity analysis was designed based on the 2 competing strategies: ipsilateral neck dissection vs SN navigation surgery. The costs referred to billed costs based on the Japanese national insurance reimbursement system. Results: The sensitivity of SN navigation surgery in our