Fluorescence navigation and angiography with indocyanine green in stomach cancer surgery

Abstract

To evaluate the effectiveness of intraoperative angiography and fluorescence navigation with indocyanine green in reducing the risks of intra- and postoperative complications, as well as resection quality in patients with gastric cancer. The main group consisted of patients who underwent intraoperative angiography and fluorescence navigation with indocyanine green (n=43). The control group included patients without these procedures (n=154). Both groups did not differ in gender (p=0.937) and age (p=0.437). The lower third of the stomach was the most common tumor location in the main group (62.7% of cases), the middle and lower thirds of the stomach - in the control group (37% and 38.9% of patients, respectively). There was no between-group difference in «cT» grading (p>0.05). However, there were more «cN+» patients in the main group (14 (32.6%) versus 28 (18.4%) ones of «N0» category, p=0.042). Therefore, 41.9% and 13.6% of patients underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy in both groups, respectively (<0.001). Intraoperative angiography and fluorescence navigation with indocyanine green does not increase mortality (p=0.631), incidence of major (CD 3-5) (p=0.436) and minor (CD 1-2) postoperative complications (p=0.177), surgery time (p=0.288), mean intraoperative blood loss (p=0.144) and length of hospital-stay (p=0.631). Fluorescence navigation with indocyanine green does not affect the number of detected «positive» resection margins (R1) (p=0.883) but significantly increases the number of excised lymph nodes (p<0.001). Intraoperative angiography and fluorescence navigation with indocyanine green are safe for intraoperative visualization of tumor and lymph nodes, as well as assessment of arterial blood supply. This technique is effective in traditional and minimally invasive surgeries for gastric cancer. Fluorescence navigation with indocyanine green significantly increases the number of excised lymph nodes.