AR fluorescent can help provide surgeons with clearer view during vascular neurosurgery.
*WARNING: The following photos are NOT for the faint of heart *
Using a combination of AR technology and ICG, otherwise known as Indocyanine Green, Leica Microsystems, one of the leading manufacturers of optical microscopes and microscope equipment, has developed GLOW800, an exciting new technology capable of providing neurosurgeons with a clear view of a patient’s cerebral anatomy during an operation.
The revolutionary new imaging process, which just received official 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), operates on Leica Microsystems’ GLOW AR platform to provide surgeons with a crystal clear view of a patients real-time vascular flow with highly accurate accurate depth perception. This is accomplished using indocyanine green, a cyanine dye used to clarify cardiac output, hepatic function, liver blood flow, and for ophthalmic angiography.
Using AR technology to further highlight the medical fluorescent, doctors can safely shine a spotlight on a patient’s vascular flow, anatomy, and physiology. Leica even provides the option to choose which color is used, such as blue, green, or teal.
“For the past decade Leica Microsystems has been pioneering new fluorescence imaging technologies in partnership with surgeons to advance surgical practices,” spoke Markus Lusser, President of Leica Microsystems, in an official release. “GLOW800 and future modalities based on the GLOW AR platform will allow surgeons to perform life-changing neurosurgical interventions with the confidence that they have the best possible visual information right in the field of view.”
“Leica Microsystems is a company that works closely with neurosurgeons to bring new technologies to market that really respond to our needs,” adds Cleopatra Charalampaki, Professor of Neurosurgery at Cologne Medical Center in Germany. “GLOW800 AR is an exciting new approach which provides a totally new view during vascular neurosurgery. I have excellent spatial orientation and I am impressed with the crisp delineation of vessels. I believe GLOW800 AR fluorescence will have a significant impact on surgical outcomes in the future.”
As part of the GLOW AR platform, GLOW800 is designed to work in conjunction with Leica’s recently released augmented reality microscope, the ARveo. The platform also operates on the both the Captiview, and it’s more sophisticated counterpart, the Leica M530 OH6.
GLOW800 is available for purchase in the United States.
Image Credit: Leica Microsystems