Intraoperative imaging of tumors with Indo-cyanine Green fluorescence with an endoscope

摘要

Surgery is the most effective treatment strategy for solid tumors. Intraoperative imaging of tumors helps detect tumor margins and establish the most appropriate surgical margins. Endoscopic surgery is a standard of care procedure for the resection of tumors, and is applicable for a wide range of solid tumors. While several imaging methodologies can be used for intraoperative imaging, optical imaging is promising for clinical application because it can detect microscopic disease, is minimally invasive, is inexpensive, does not require advance training for surgeons and can provide real-time images. Fluorescence from an injected contrast agent (Indo-cyanine green, ICG) has been effectively used for the identification of tumors in humans. In this study, we adapt a commercially available endoscope for intraoperative imaging of solid tumors. Our instrument utilizes light from a near-infrared 780nm LED to illuminate the surgical field of view and two CCD cameras for imaging the reflected fluorescence as well as the background tissue. We show that our instrument can simultaneously image fluorescence from the tumor as well as the background tissue. We characterize our instrument in tissue simulating phantoms, with tumor simulating 'targets'.