The Use of Indocyanine Green Near-infrared Fluorescence for Bowel Perfusion Quantitative Assessment in Order to Prevent Anastomotic Leakage in Colorectal Surgery

Indocyanine Green Near-infrared Fluorescence Bowel Perfusion Quantitative Assessment to Prevent Anastomotic Leakage in Colorectal Surgery: a Multicentre, Randomised, Controlled Study

Anastomotic leakage (AL) is a serious complication after surgery for colon cancer, leading to a significant increase in mortality.Intraoperative fluorescence imaging using indocyanine green has proven to be a feasible and reproducible technique for real-time perfusion assessment.

An increasing number of studies are being published on the use of indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging in colorectal cancer surgery, showing promising results.

Therefore, we propose conducting a multicenter, randomized controlled trial to investigate the potential use of quantitative assessment of near-infrared fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) to prevent anastomotic leaks during colorectal surgery.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients aged over 18 years old
• ECOG status 0-2
• Written informed consent
• histologically confirmed neoplasms malignant of the colon (caecum, ascending, transverse, descending, sigmoid)
• Scheduled for colorectal resection with primary anastomosis

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnancy or breast feeding
• Colon obstruction, perforation or bleeding complicating the tumor
• Medical contraindications for surgical treatment
• Known allergy or history of adverse reaction to ICG, iodine or iodine dyes