Indocyanine green in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: utility and correlation with a preoperative risk score

This study aims to compare the visualization of the cystic duct-common bile duct junction with indocyanine green (ICG) among 3 groups of patients divided according to the difficulty of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Conducted at a single center, this non-randomized, prospective, observational study encompassed 168 patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy and were assessed with a preoperative risk score to predict difficult cholecystectomies, including clinical factors and radiological findings. Three groups were identified: low, moderate, and high risk. A dose of 0.25 mg of IV ICG was administered during anesthesia induction and the different objectives were evaluated.

The visualization of the cystic duct-common bile duct junction was achieved in 28 (100%), 113 (91.1%), and 10 (63%) patients in the low, moderate, and high-risk groups, respectively. The high-risk group had longer total operative time, higher conversion, more complications and longer hospital stay. In the surgeon's subjective assessment, ICG was considered useful in 36% of the low-risk group, 58% in the moderate-risk group, and 69% in the high-risk group. Additionally, there were no cases where ICG modified the surgeon's surgical approach in the low-risk group, compared to 11% in the moderate-risk group and 25% in the high-risk group (p < 0.01).

The results of this study confirm that in the case of difficult cholecystectomies, the visualization of the cystic duct-common bile duct junction is achieved in 63% of cases and prompts a modification of the surgical procedure in one out of four patients.