Indocyanine Green (ICG) and Colorectal Surgery: A Literature Review on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods of Usage

Background: Due to its many benefits, indocyanine green (ICG) has gained progressive popularity in operating rooms (ORs) globally. This literature review examines its qualitative and quantitative usage in surgical treatment. Method: Relevant terms were searched in five international databases (1. Pubmed, 2. Sciencedirect, 3. Scopus, 4. Oxfordjournals, 5. Reaxys) for a comprehensive literature review. The main benefits of using ICG in colorectal surgery are: intraoperative fluorescence angiography; fluorescence-guided lymph node involvement detection and the sentinel technique; the fluorescent emphasis of a minute liver tumour, counting just 200 tumour cells; facilitation of fistula diagnosis; and tumour tattooing. This methodology can also be used with quantitative characteristics such as maximum intensity, relative maximum intensity, and in-flow parameters such as time-to-peak, slope, and t1/2max. This article concludes that fluorescence surgery with ICG and near-infrared (NIR) light is a relatively new technology that improves anatomical and functional information, allowing more comprehensive and safer tumour removal and the preservation of important structures.