Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Apr 27;17(4):104020.
doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i4.104020.

Advancement of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging technology in laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer

Chu-Ying Wu  1 , Yue-Jia Zhu  1 , Kai Ye  2
Affiliations
Review

Advancement of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging technology in laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer

Chu-Ying Wu et al. World J Gastrointest Surg. .

Abstract

Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging technology has been increasingly utilized in rectal surgery in recent years. As a safe tracer, indocyanine green can facilitate lymph node tracing, assess the blood supply at anastomotic sites, and localize tumour lesions during laparoscopic surgery, thereby resulting in favourable outcomes. This technology helps surgeons to achieve more precise diagnoses and treatments in laparoscopic procedures, thus ultimately benefiting patients. However, the current application of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging technology still lacks standardized regulations, and certain effects remain contentious. This study provides a comprehensive review of the application of indocyanine green in laparoscopic surgery for rectal cancer based on the pertinent literature.

Keywords: Blood supply; Indocyanine green fluorescence; Laparoscopic surgery; Lymph node; Rectal cancer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The vascular supply to the colon.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Lateral lymph nodes surrounding the rectum. MCA: Middle colic artery; SMA: Superior mesenteric artery; IMA: Inferior mesenteric artery; SRA: Superior rectal artery; LCA: Left colic artery; SA: Sigmoid artery.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Brouquet A, Bachet JB, Huguet F, Karoui M, Artru P, Sabbagh C, Lefèvre JH, Vernerey D, Mariette C, Vicaut E, Benoist S on behalf the FRENCH , GRECCAR, PRODIGE study groups. NORAD01-GRECCAR16 multicenter phase III non-inferiority randomized trial comparing preoperative modified FOLFIRINOX without irradiation to radiochemotherapy for resectable locally advanced rectal cancer (intergroup FRENCH-GRECCAR- PRODIGE trial) BMC Cancer. 2020;20:485. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Watanabe J, Ishibe A, Suwa Y, Suwa H, Ota M, Kunisaki C, Endo I. Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging to reduce the risk of anastomotic leakage in laparoscopic low anterior resection for rectal cancer: a propensity score-matched cohort study. Surg Endosc. 2020;34:202–208. - PubMed
    1. Yanagita T, Hara M, Osaga S, Nakai N, Maeda Y, Shiga K, Hirokawa T, Matsuo Y, Takahashi H, Takiguchi S. Efficacy of intraoperative ICG fluorescence imaging evaluation for preventing anastomotic leakage after left-sided colon or rectal cancer surgery: a propensity score-matched analysis. Surg Endosc. 2021;35:2373–2385. - PubMed
    1. Nagata K, Endo S, Hidaka E, Tanaka J, Kudo SE, Shiokawa A. Laparoscopic sentinel node mapping for colorectal cancer using infrared ray laparoscopy. Anticancer Res. 2006;26:2307–2311. - PubMed
    1. Dai JY, Han ZJ, Wang JD, Liu BS, Liu JY, Wang YC. Short-term outcomes of near-infrared imaging using indocyanine green in laparoscopic lateral pelvic lymph node dissection for middle-lower rectal cancer: A propensity score-matched cohort analysis. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022;9:1039928. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources