Intuitive Surgical received FDA approval for expanded indication of the company’s Firefly system that’s used along with its laparoscopic da Vinci surgical system to visualize blood vasculature in real-time.
Firefly imaging activated around the renal hilum.
Indocyanine green (ICG) dye is injected into the bloodstream and naturally sticks to albumin. When a 803 nm wavelength laser illuminates the surgical scene, the dye is excited and glows, showing the path of vessels.
From Intuitive Surgical:
In addition to providing the ability to view blood flow through vessels and tissue, the expanded use now includes real-time imaging of bile ducts (cystic duct, common bile duct and common hepatic duct). The Firefly imaging system is intended for use along with normal white light in imaging of the bile ducts and is not intended for standalone use.