Fluorescence-guided pancreatic surgery: A scoping review

Abstract

Background: Although fluorescence guidance during various surgical procedures has been shown to be safe and have possible better clinical outcomes than without the guidance, the use of fluorophores in pancreatic surgery is novel and not yet well described. This scoping review involved a systematic methodology of the currently available literature and aimed to illuminate the use of fluorophores in pancreatic surgery from a clinical view.

Methods: The PRISMA and the PRISMA-ScR guidelines were used when appropriate and the following databases were searched: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, The Cochrane Collection, and Web of Science. Human original articles and case reports were included. Bias was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the IDEAL framework was used for evaluation of surgical innovation.

Results: A total of 5,565 search hits were screened, and 23 original articles and 24 case reports consisting of 754 patients met the inclusion criteria. The use of indocyanine green was both the most prominent and the most promising method for securing sufficient perfusion of neighboring organs, enhancing the detection and distinguishing of neuroendocrine tumors, and assisting in the identification of hepatic micrometastases.

Conclusion: The included studies were generally heterogenic, exploratory, and small. Indocyanine green was used in several ways, and it may add clinical value in different settings during pancreatic surgery. Tumor-targeted probes are a rapidly developing and promising field of research.