Intraoperative real-time near-infrared optical imaging for the identification of metastatic brain tumors via microscope and exoscope

OBJECTIVE As chemotherapy and radiotherapy have developed, the role of a neurosurgeon in the treatment of metastatic brain tumors is gradually changing. Real-time intraoperative visualization of brain tumors by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is feasible. The authors aimed to perform real-time intraoperative visualization of the metastatic tumor in brain surgery using second-window indocyanine green (SWIG) with microscope and exoscope systems. METHODS Ten patients with intraparenchymal brain metastatic tumors were administered 5 mg/kg indocyanine green (ICG) 1 day before the surgery. In some patients, a microscope was used to help identify the metastases, whereas in the others, an exoscope was used. RESULTS NIRS with the exoscope and microscope revealed the tumor location from the brain surface and the tumor itself in all 10 patients. The NIR signal could be detected though the normal brain parenchyma up to 20 mm. While the mean signal-to-background ratio (SBR) from the brain surface was 1.82 +/- 1.30, it was 3.35 +/- 1.76 from the tumor. The SBR of the tumor (p = 0.030) and the ratio of Gd-enhanced T1 tumor signal to normal brain (T1BR) (p = 0.0040) were significantly correlated with the tumor diameter. The SBR of the tumor was also correlated with the T1BR (p = 0.0020). The tumor was completely removed in 9 of the 10 patients, as confirmed by postoperative Gd-enhanced MRI. This was concomitant with the absence of NIR fluorescence at the end of surgery. CONCLUSIONS SWIG reveals the metastatic tumor location from the brain surface with both the microscope and exoscope systems. The Gd enhanced T1 tumor signal may predict the NIR signal of the metastatic tumor, thus facilitating tumor resection.