A prospective comparative study of microscope-integrated intraoperative fluorescein and indocyanine videoangiography for clip ligation of complex cerebral aneurysms.

OBJECT The authors prospectively analyzed 2 microscope-integrated videoangiography techniques using intravenous indocyanine green (ICG) and fluorescein for assessment of cerebral aneurysm obliteration and adjacent vessel patency. METHODS The authors prospectively enrolled 22 patients who underwent clip ligation of their aneurysm and used intraoperative videoangiography to assess obliteration of the aneurysmal sac and patency of the adjacent branching and perforating arteries. Patients underwent ICG videoangiography (ICG-VA) and the newly developed fluorescein videoangiography (FL-VA) using microscope-integrated fluorescence modules. Two independent observers compared the videoangiography recordings for value and quality to assess aneurysm exclusion and the patency of adjacent arteries. RESULTS All 22 patients first underwent FL-VA and then ICG-VA after clip application. In 7 cases (32%), FL-VA provided superior detail to assess perforating arteries (4 cases), distal branches (2 cases), and both (1 case); such detail was not readily available on ICG-VA. In 1 patient, ICG-VA offered better visualization of posterior communicating artery aneurysm occlusion than FL-VA because of staining artifact on the aneurysm dome from the adjacent tentorium. In 2 patients, FL-VA offered the needed advantage of real-time manipulation of the vessels and flow assessment by visualization through the operating microscope oculars. In 2 other cases, ICG-VA was more practical for repeat usage because of its more efficient clearance from the intravascular space. The ICG-VA image quality was often degraded at higher magnification in deep operative fields, partly due to chromatic aberration. Both ICG-VA and FL-VA afforded restricted views of vasculature based on the angle of surgical approach and obscuration by blood clot, aneurysm, or brain tissue. CONCLUSIONS Compared with ICG-VA, FL-VA can potentially provide an improved visualization of vasculature at high magnification in deep surgical fields. ICG-VA is more effective for repeated use during clip repositioning due to ICG's minimal vascular wall extravasation. Therefore, in certain cases, FL-VA may offer some advantages and play a complementary role along with ICG-VA in intraoperative fluorescence evaluation during microsurgical management of aneurysms.