ICG Lymphography in a 4-week Postmortem Cadaver: Implications for a Supermicrosurgery Training Model.

Area of Science:

• Surgical innovation
• Medical training models
• Supermicrosurgery

Background:

• Surgical models are crucial for training and innovation.
• Current supermicrosurgery (SM) models are limited and imperfect.
• Cadaveric specimens offer potential for advanced surgical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a novel method for lymphatic mapping in cadaveric specimens.
• To evaluate the utility of a fresh, previously frozen cadaver for supermicrosurgery simulation.
• To establish a reproducible technique for indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography in upper extremity cadavers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a fresh, previously frozen 4-week postmortem cadaveric upper extremity specimen.
• Performed distal to proximal indocyanine green (ICG) lymphography.
• Confirmed lymphatic visualization using handheld SPY fluorescence imaging.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated ICG lymphography in the cadaveric specimen.
• Visualized a clearly defined, linear lymphatic system via fluorescence imaging.
• Validated the feasibility of using this cadaveric model for SM training.

Conclusions:

• A straightforward and reproducible method for lymphatic mapping in cadaveric specimens was established.
• This technique expands the available surgical models for supermicrosurgery training and research.
• Fresh, frozen cadavers are viable for advanced lymphatic mapping simulation in SM.