Fluorescence Guided Surgery (FGS) is a cutting edge imaging technology
Fluorescence Guided Surgery is a medical imaging technique that allows surgeons to operate with more information, and therefore with more precision. One of the unique features of this technology is that it allows for advanced imaging in real time, during your operation. Older imaging technologies like X Rays are like a paper map that you might have used to plan a trip. Fluorescence imaging is like a GPS, offering accurate and detailed information and guidance in real time. The benefit to the surgeon is obvious and significant.
Fluorescence Guided Surgery is simple and safe. A dye approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is injected into the patient and the dye then circulates throughout the bloodstream. This dye was actually approved by the FDA in 1959 but it wasn’t until recent advancements in camera technology that it became practical to utilize it during surgery. These cameras are capable of seeing the dye in the infrared spectrum of light that is invisible to the naked eye. Quite simply, the image the surgeon sees shows the dye glowing bright green wherever there is healthy blood flow. Importantly, areas of poor blood flow do not illuminate.