Preliminary study of indocyanine green-guided laparoscopic lateral lymph node dissection for rectal cancer

Sep 21, 2026

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LLNM can occur in mid-low rectal cancer, yet laparoscopic LLND is challenging due to complex lateral pelvic anatomy and difficult intraoperative localisation. This retrospective study evaluated ICG-guided laparoscopic lateral lymph node dissection in 11 rectal cancer patients with lateral lymph node metastasis. All 11 patients completed the procedure successfully with good lateral lymph node imaging. The findings indicate ICG-guided laparoscopic LLND is safe, feasible, and provides practical guidance for intraoperative lymph node dissection.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Introduction

Methods

Patients

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PLOS ONE OPEN ACCESS Citation: Wu C-Y, Zhong W-J, Ye K (2024) Preliminary study of indocyanine green-guided laparoscopic lateral lymph node dissection for rectal cancer. PLoS ONE 19(7): e0307077 . [https://](https://)[ ](https://)[doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307077](doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307077) [Editor:](Editor: Marco Clementi)[ Marco Clementi](Editor: Marco Clementi), [University of L](University of L)’[Aquila](Aquila), ITALY Received: December 28, 2023 Accepted: June 29, 2024 Published: July 15, 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Wu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting information files. Funding: This study is founded by Key Clinical Specialty Discipline Construction Program of Fujian, P. R.C (Fujian Health Medicine and Politics [2022]884) and Fujian Provincial Health and Youth Research Project (2022QNA066) . The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. RESEARCH ARTICLE Preliminary study of indocyanine greenguided laparoscopic lateral lymph node dissection for rectal cancer Chu-Ying Wu☯, Wen-Jin Zhong☯, Kai Ye * Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China ☯ These authors contributed equally to this work. * [medwcy@163.com](medwcy@163.com) Abstract Background LLNM can occur in mid-low rectal cancer, but LLND in patients with rectal cancer presents certain challenges. Recent years have seen the progressive application of ICG fluorescence imaging technology in colorectal surgery. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of ICG-guided laparoscopic LLND for rectal cancer. Methods We applied ICG-guided laparoscopic lateral lymph node dissection in 11 patients diagnosed as rectal cancer with lateral lymph node metastasis. Results All 11 patients in this group successfully completed ICG-guided laparoscopic LLND for rectal cancer with good lateral lymph node imaging. Conclusions ICG-guided laparoscopic LLND for rectal cancer is safe and represents a feasible solution, thereby providing valuable guidance for intraoperative lymph node dissection. Introduction Rectal cancer is currently the third most common malignancy worldwide, and its incidence continues to rise. Lymph node metastasis is a main pathway for rectal cancer metastasis and also an important cause of recurrence and death inpatients after radical surgery for rectal cancer. With the development of surgical techniques in recent years, total mesorectal excision (TME) has become the standard surgical procedure for mid-low rectal cancer. Conventional TME does not involve lateral lymph nodes outside the rectal mesentery. However, in cases of Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. locally advanced rectal cancers with Lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM), lateral lymph nodes remain potential sites for local recurrence. As an effective treatment method for removing lateral lymph nodes in rectal cancer, Laparoscopic lateral lymph node dissection (LLND) can considerably reduce the local recurrence rate after rectal cancer surgery, leading to good prognoses. However, the complex anatomical structure of the lateral rectum increases the difficulty of intraoperative localisation and dissection. Indocyanine green (ICG) is a clinically used near-infrared imaging agent that can be applied intraoperatively for lymph node tracing and is known for its good feasibility and safety. This work retrospectively analysed the clinical data of 11 patients with mid-low rectal cancer who underwent LLND with the use ofICG during surgery, explori

FAQs

Why is laparoscopic lateral lymph node dissection difficult in rectal cancer?

The complex anatomical structure of the lateral rectum increases the difficulty of intraoperative localisation and dissection.

How was ICG used in the study?

Patients received ICG guidance during intraoperative lateral lymph node dissection, using ICG fluorescence imaging to trace lymph nodes.

What were the main results of ICG-guided laparoscopic LLND?

All 11 patients successfully completed ICG-guided laparoscopic LLND with good lateral lymph node imaging, and the study concludes it is safe and feasible.

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Liam