Patent blue anaphylaxis: case report

Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & ImmunologyBlue dyes have been increasingly used for staging breast cancer and melanoma.1 Their administration in association with radioisotope-labelled albumin is with rates of identification of sentinel lymph nodes of 99%. Patent blue V (PBV) is a member of the triarylmethane family, which also includes isosulfan blue and methylene blue (MB). The former shares structural homology with PBV, which is responsible for some degree of cross reactivity. Most published studies on allergic reactions to blue dyes do not include any immunoallergologic evaluation. In studies in which this evaluation was performed, the incidence of PBV allergy was 0.5%.3 We describe the immunoallergologic study of a patient with intraoperative anaphylaxis to PBV.