Educational Benefits of Intraoperative Indocyanine Green Angiography for Surgical Beginners During Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and usefulness of indocyanine green (ICG) angiography in laparoscopic colorectal surgery and to explore its educational benefits in surgical beginners. METHODS: From July to October of 2015, a total of 21 patients with colorectal cancer underwent laparoscopic surgery using the fluorescence-guided imaging system, IMAGE1 S™ (Karl Storz, Germany). Real-time ICG fluorescence images and red inversion images were juxtaposed with standard white-light images for assessment of colonic perfusion. A surgical beginner group comprised of medical students (n=11) and surgical residents (n=11) were then questioned postoperatively about the colonic transection line and mesenteric vascular integrity across various image modes to determine the most proper view for surgical decision. RESULTS: A total of 21 patients underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery using ICG angiography. Mean patient age was 69.7 years (52~77 years). Mean time-to-detection for the marginal arteries and colonic wall were 26.7 (range, 4~45) and 47.3 (range, 20~77) seconds, respectively. No injection-related adverse events were observed. Rate of change in the colonic transection line across modes was 59.9% (33.3~66.7%) in the surgical beginners. Decisions made by surgical beginners on the transection line were varied with the standard image, but converged to 81.8% in the ICG with red inversion mode. Surgical beginners preferred ICG with red inversion mode for assessment of mesenteric vascular integrity. CONCLUSION: ICG angiography seems to be safe and useful in evaluating colonic perfusion for transection decisions and could have educational benefits for surgical beginners in training to make surgical decisions.