A novel transendoscopically implantable miniature silicone-rubber marker emitting high-intensity near-infrared fluorescence for image-guided laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery: HICARL bullet

Background: A recent advancement in imaging technology for near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) with high penetrance of biological tissues allows for precise and safe image-guided surgery. Here, we developed a prototype of a transendoscopically implantable miniature NIRF silicone-rubber marker, HICARL...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Takayuki Sato, Tetsuo Sumida, Hiromi Sato
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1572100025002273
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Summary:Background: A recent advancement in imaging technology for near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) with high penetrance of biological tissues allows for precise and safe image-guided surgery. Here, we developed a prototype of a transendoscopically implantable miniature NIRF silicone-rubber marker, HICARL bullet, and experimentally confirmed its NIRF performance required for image-guided laparoscopic surgery of the alimentary tract. Methods: The HICARL bullet with a diameter of 0.7 mm and a length of 3 mm was molded from NIRF silicone rubber we developed previously, emitting NIRF at a wavelength of 820–880 nm in response to excitation light at a wavelength of 740–800 nm. A specialized tool was fabricated for transendoscopically implanting the HICARL bullet into the submucosa of the alimentary tract through a forceps bore within a gastrointestinal videoscope. Results: The HICARL bullet demonstrated 9.3 times higher NIRF brightness than an ethanol solution of indocyanine green (5 μg/mL), and was unambiguously identified by its NIRF with high intensity through a 15-mm-thick chicken muscle strip. The transendoscopically implanted HICARL bullet into the submucosa of an in vivo porcine stomach exhibited superior visibility from the serosa side when compared to a commercially available NIRF clip (ZEOCLIP FS, Zeon Medical) placed on the mucosa. Conclusions: The HICARL bullet could serve as a promising NIRF marker for reliably delineating the demarcation line during image-guided laparoscopic surgery for gastrointestinal cancer.
ISSN:1572-1000