Intraoperative assessment of reconstructed vessels in living-donor liver transplantation, using a novel fluorescence imaging technique

Abstract

In living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT), hepatic arterial thrombosis and portal venous thrombosis are critical problems that can result in graft loss. Only intraoperative Doppler ultrasound (IDUS) is able to evaluate blood flow in the reconstructed vessels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of a newly developed fluorescence imaging technique using indocyanine green (ICG) for visualizing reconstructed vessels.