Intraoperative blood vessel detection and quantification: a Monte Carlo study

With better surgical outcomes, quicker recovery times, decreased postoperative pain, and reduced scarring at the surgical site, the application of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has gained a lot of prominence in the last 30 years. This change in surgical practice has taken away the ability of a surgeon to palpate for the presence of a blood vessel as would occur in an open procedure. They instead must rely on a laparoscopic video camera feed that unfortunately cannot detect the presence of a blood vessel hidden beneath tissue. In certain scenarios, a surgeon can accidentally cut a blood vessel, which can lead to severe, even fatal, complications. Here, we show that by adding a near-infrared LED and a photodiode onto the opposing jaws of laparoscopic graspers, blood vessels buried under tissue can be detected. We show the results of Monte Carlo simulations to support our theory that the blood vessels ranging from 3 to 6 mm buried under up to 1 cm of tissue can be detected and quantified. This technology could be added to already existing laparoscopic tools that have limited surface areas on the jaws to assist surgeons during MIS procedures.