Indocyanine green fluorescence angiography for intraoperative assessment of blood flow: A feasibility study

Objective. To introduce our preliminary experience with indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence angiography for the assessment of lower leg bypasses. Methods. 1 ml of 0.5% indocyanine green was intravenously injected in 9 patients with PAD who underwent paramalleolar artery bypass using saphenous vein grafts. A newly developed near-infrared camera system (PDE; Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. Hamamatsu, Japan) was used for this study. Results. ICG fluorescence angiography was performed without any adverse events. Fluorescence images of ICG angiography could be viewed as real-time images of the angiography in eight patients, while one patient underwent graft revision with the absence of fluorescence in ICG angiography. Conclusion. ICG fluorescence angiography is clinically feasible and may help surgeons assess the quality of lower leg bypasses. (c) 2007 European Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.