Near-infrared camera for intraventricular neuroendoscopic procedures: in vitro comparison of the efficiency of near-infrared camera and visual light camera during bleeding

Bleeding is the most important problem in neuroendoscopic procedures. The visibility of the bleeding point for a long period of time is very crucial for the surgeon to stop the bleeding. In this study, the performances of a near-infrared camera (NIRC) and a visible light camera (VLC), which is widely used today, were compared in terms of the visibility duration of the bleeding point. A bleeding point was generated in vitro, and it was monitored with VLC and NIRC (sensitive to 850-nm infrared light), which were connected to two identical telescope systems. This trial was repeated for 40 times using different telescope systems (Clarus neurochannel endoscopy and Storz Hopkins). The images were merged and analyzed digitally. Statistically, sharper brightness difference levels between bleeding point and background are achieved by NIRC than VLC. Analyses revealed that the bleeding point could be observed for a longer time with NIRC, when compared to VLC. NIRCs may provide very significant advantages against bleedings encountered during intraventricular operations.