Abstract: Objective To systematically assess the differences between indocyanine green (ICG) and 99Tcm in identification rates of sentinel lymph node (SLN) in melanoma by meta-analysis, and to provide an evidence-based reference for the clinical selection of lymphatic tracing methods. 
Methods A systematic search of Chinese and English databases was performed to screen out all articles that met the inclusion criteria. Forest plots were drawn and heterogeneity was analyzed using I2 and Q test as indicators, and the corresponding model was used to analyze pooled effect sizes. Publication bias was assessed using Egger′s test, and sensitivity analysis was used to assess whether the results were stable and reliable. 
Results A total of 15 studies were included. The final results showed that there was no significant difference in SLN identification rate between ICG and 99Tcm in melanoma (P＞0.05). Sensitivity analysis showed that the results were stable and reliable. Egger′s test showed that there was no publication bias. 
Conclusion There is no significant difference between ICG and 99Tcm in identifying SLN in melanoma, but ICG is non-radioactive, which is safer and easier to perform. Therefore, it is expected to replace 99Tcm as an important means of identifying SLN in melanoma.

Key words: melanoma, sentinel lymph node, fluorescent dyes, radionuclide imaging