Indocyanine Green Use During Esophagectomy

Abstract

During an esophagectomy, many factors influence the anastomosis. Surgical factors include anastomotic tension, location of the anastomosis, surgical technique, and perfusion of the conduit. The use of fluorescent angiography is a possible avenue for more objective evaluation of the gastric conduit. There is a lot of variability in the way this tool has been used and what the results indicate. This article will discuss the various methods of fluorescent angiography to determine intestinal perfusion using indocyanine green and fluorescent imaging and the data on the association with clinical outcomes.

Keywords: Anastomoses; Esophagectomy; Gastric conduit; Imaging; Perfusion.