Advancesin Neurosurgery: Visualizing Blood Flow (NAPSA)—Patients having to undergo neurosurgery will now benefit from a new technology that allows neurosurgeons to visualize actual blood flow in vessels and reveal obstructions, assess patency (the opennessor lack of obstruction of a bodily passage or duct) and confirm the success of surgery, such as arterial bypass or aneurysm clipping. The visualiza- tion is accomplished through the microscope eyepieces in real time, during neurovascularsurgery. The new FL800 integrated neurovascular fluorescence device from Leica Microsystems is used in conjunction with the Akorn”™ Leica FL800 allows neurosurgeons to view neurovascular blood flow during surgery. J Ty fluorescence agent Dr. Fady Charbel, Lndocyanine Green™ and displays the imageto the surgeon through the microscope eye- vascular section, rovascular' UIC flow. the procedure can be repeated six times in a single surgery, the surgeon can review initial, baseline images later in surgery for com- chief of the neuro- (ICG) to view neu- blood ICG neurovascular fluorescence provides a relatively straightforward wayto visualize blood flow in vessels within the operativefield. “Patients will benefit from this new assessment method, as this information is often quite impor- tant in the treatment of various conditions, such as aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and vascular reconstruction,” says Dr. Fady Charbel, Department Head of Neurosurgery, University of [llinois Medical Center at Chicago. “Such a tool will likely decrease the need for more conventional intraoperative, X-ray-based con- trast angiography.” The procedure is straightfor- ward for a surgeon to perform. The ICG agent is injected intravenously into the patient; a cam- era detects the fluorescence signal pieces and/or on a monitor. Since parison purposes, track the effects of a surgical procedure on blood flow in the brain and confirm patency. Says Dr. Charbel, “With further utilization and accumulation of data, ICG fluorescence holds great promise for more widespread use during neurovascular procedures.” Dr. Charbel headed the clinical trials of the Leica FL800 inte- grated neurovascular fluorescence device at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago. Leica Microsystems, Inc., a leading global designer and producer of precision optical microscopes and systems for the analysis of microstructures, received FDA 510(k) clearance to market the new device in November 2006.
