Evaluation of the anastomotic blood flow with near-infrared ICG fluorescence angiography with intraoperative transanal endoscopy to predict anastomotic leakage after colorectal surgery

Anastomotic leakage is the most severe complication of intestinal surgery. The suture failure rate in rectal surgery is higher than that at other sites of the colon. In Japan, the rate is reported to range from 12.4 to 15.3% [1]. Anastomotic leakage may occur for a variety of reasons, including blood flow, tension and the surgical techniques that are applied. The most significant cause is blood flow of the anastomotic site. Recently, it has been reported that intraoperative near-infrared indocyanine green fluorescence angiography (NIRICG AG) would be useful for evaluating the intestinal blood flow[2-4]. ICG is an infrared fluorescent dye that absorbs light between 790 and 805 nm and re-emits it Chiba Medical J. 94E:25-31, 2018 doi:10.20776/S03035476-94E-3-P25