Evaluation of Colonic Perfusion by Indocyanine Green Angiography During Colorectal Surgery

Plain-language summary

Despite advancements in technology and improved surgical techniques, the occurrence of anastomotic leakage (AL) after colorectal surgery remains between 4% and 30%. AL is a feared complication associated with significant morbidity and mortality in colorectal surgery, with its causes being multifaceted. Inadequate blood supply to the intestines is believed to be a major contributor to its development. Various methods have been proposed to objectively assess intestinal perfusion beyond the subjective evaluation done by surgeons during surgery. However, these methods face challenges such as poor reproducibility and high costs, limiting their routine use. In recent years, indocyanine green (ICG) angiography has emerged as a tool for assessing organ perfusion in various medical scenarios. However, only one randomized clinical trial has been conducted regarding its use in evaluating colorectal surgery outcomes, which found that while ICG angiography sometimes led to additional bowel resection, it didn't significantly reduce the rate of anastomotic leaks compared to conventional methods. This could be due to the trial's small sample size, potentially reducing its statistical power. This study aims to investigate whether ICG angiography can lower the rate of anastomotic leaks during laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery, while also examining its impact on resection margins, perioperative morbidity, and mortality rates. A total of 561 subjects undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery for malignancy, will be randomized in 2 arms: A Study Group undergoing ICG angiography (i.e. colonic perfusion is intraoperatively assessed by ICG angiography and level of resection is selected based on the fluorescence) and a Control Group (i.e. resection is performed based on subjective judgment).

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