It will come as no surprise that being able to see clearly and identify important structures during surgery will lead to better outcomes. Traditionally, most surgery was performed with large incisions and surgeons using their hands to perform the various parts of the operation. This has largely been replaced by modern surgeons using keyhole techniques whether that be laparoscopy or more recently, robotics.

 

Central to the benefits of keyhole surgery is the high-resolution image that is displayed on the monitors where the surgeon can see anatomical detail far more accurately compared with open surgery. 

 

Beyond the clarity of the imaging in minimally invasive surgery is the ability to use near infrared or fluorescence guided technology. This is where a dye is injected into the bloodstream that then flows into the target tissues and organs and thus showing important details that are not possible to see with the naked eye. Examples include blood vessels and blood flow, tubes that carry bile or urine and in some cases cancerous tissue.

 

I have been researching fluorescence guided surgery for several years now and have pioneered various techniques and published these in the medical literature. There is now clear evidence that the use of fluorescence guided surgery leads to better outcomes. This evidence was recently published and presented at the European Association of Endoscopic Surgeons annual meeting in November 2021 of which I was a co-author.

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I incorporate these cutting-edge techniques during major abdominal surgery to ensure that my patients are offered the best outcomes whether that be laparoscopically or robotically. It may be that these techniques are useful for your surgery so please do enquire during consultation.

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Take care

Manish Chand