Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 30, 2026
04:02
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy with Indocyanine Green Fluorescence: Choledochoscopic Stone Extraction and Primary Duct Suture
Published on: November 25, 2025
895
From shadow to light: visualization of extrahepatic bile ducts using image-enhanced laparoscopy
Thomas Schnelldorfer1, Roger L Jenkins2, Desmond H Birkett2
1Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Burlington, MA, USA thomas.schnelldorfer@lahey.org.
Surgical Innovation
|May 3, 2014
Summary
Image-enhanced laparoscopy aids in visualizing extrahepatic bile ducts, crucial for preventing surgical injuries. Indocyanine green near-infrared fluorescence imaging shows the most promise among emerging techniques for safer laparoscopic procedures.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Visualization Technologies
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Biliary System Anatomy
Background:
- Accurate identification of extrahepatic bile ducts is vital for preventing bile duct injuries during laparoscopic surgery.
- Image-enhanced laparoscopy (IEL) offers potential solutions by using advanced optical methods beyond white light to reveal obscured anatomical structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and describe image-enhanced laparoscopy techniques for visualizing the extrahepatic bile ducts.
- To assess the current state and potential of these emerging technologies in surgical practice.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies detailing IEL techniques for extrahepatic bile duct visualization.
- Included studies covered various techniques in both animal and human settings.
Main Results:
- Twenty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria, describing diverse IEL methods.
- Techniques reviewed include autofluorescence imaging, drug-enhanced fluorescence imaging, infrared thermography, and spectral imaging.
- Indocyanine green-enhanced near-infrared fluorescence laparoscopy demonstrated the most advanced results among the reviewed techniques.
Conclusions:
- Image-enhanced laparoscopy for real-time visualization of extrahepatic bile ducts is an emerging field.
- While indocyanine green-enhanced near-infrared fluorescence laparoscopy is currently the most mature technique, others show promise.
- IEL is expected to become a standard tool for laparoscopic surgeries near the hepatic hilum.
