Intraoperative ICG-based imaging of liver neoplasms: a simple yet powerful tool. Preliminary results

Detecting small nodules that are grossly unidentifiable remains a major challenge in liver resection for cancer. Novel developments in navigation surgery, especially indocyanine green (ICG)-based fluorescence imaging, are making a clear breakthrough in addressing this issue. ICG is almost routinely administered during the preoperative stage in hepatobiliary surgery. However, its full potential has yet to be realized, partly because there are no precise guidelines regarding the optimal dose or timing of ICG injections before liver surgery. The main goal of this study was to design an algorithm for the management of ICG injections to achieve optimal liver staining results.

Twenty-seven consecutive, unselected patients undergoing liver resection for cancer were enrolled and underwent preoperative liver function assessment by the LiMON test. Extra ICG i.v. injections at different doses and timings were performed. In vivo intraoperative analysis of the stain detected by near-infrared fluorescence imaging of the liver and ex vivo analysis of each resected nodule was performed and compared to the pathological analysis.

(i) The success rate of ICG injections in terms of liver staining was 92.6%; (ii) in the absence of or with 7 or more days from a previous ICG injection, the best dose to inject before the operation was 0.2 mg/kg, and the best timing was between 24 and 48 h before the scheduled surgery; and (iii) the ICG fluorescence patterns observed in the tumors were total fluorescence staining (41% of the cases), partial fluorescence staining (15%), rim fluorescence staining surrounding the tumor (30%), and no staining (15%).

This study is a building block for the characterization of liver nodules and the search for additional surface lesions undetected by preoperative radiological work-up-a crucial task for the successful treatment of liver cancer at an early stage using a safe, minimally invasive, and inexpensive technique.