Leica Microsystems has announced that it won FDA clearance for its FL560 fluorescence microscope filter to be used with the dye fluorescein to view cerebrovascular blood flow. The filter works with the M530 OH6 neurosurgical microscope, and after injection of fluorescein the surgical team can see blood fluorescing in greenish/yellow while the rest of the anatomy shows up in its own colors. The image comes through in real-time and Leica claims it provides a significantly more vibrant and detailed view of tissues and small vessels than commonly used near-infrared fluorescence.
Leica says that it was able to bring together two illumination methods into one imaging modality thanks to its knowledge of optics and the new filter that treats fluorescence differently than white light. This allows the microscope to provide just the right contrast between the blood flow and surrounding anatomy so that both can be seen together clearly.
Product page: Fluorescence Module Leica FL560..
Image: Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) viewed with FL560 fluorescence. Photo courtesy of Cleopatra Charalampaki, MD, PhD, Professor of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Cologne Medical Center, Germany. (PRNewsfoto/Leica Microsystems)
Via: Leica