USE OF NEAR-INFRARED FLUORESCENCE WITH INDOCYANINE GREEN IN SMALL ANIMAL SURGICAL ONCOLOGY AND IN CADAVERIC ANATOMICAL STUDY
type: CreativeWork
description: Near-Infrared Fluorescence (NIRF) imaging is an emerging technology that enables real-time visualization of tissue perfusion and lymphatic structures through the use of fluorescent dyes such as indocyanine green (ICG). Although well-established in human surgery, its clinical application in veterinary surgical oncology is still developing. In recent years, however, interest in this technique has grown rapidly, highlighting its potential to improve surgical precision and intraoperative decision-making in small animal surgical oncology. This PhD project investigates the use of NIRF-ICG imaging to address key challenges in surgical oncology in dogs and cats. The research is structured into three main lines of investigation: 1. the use of NIRF-ICG for sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification and removal 2. the application of real-time tumor fluorescence-guided surgery (TFGS) for intraoperative decision-making regarding surgical margins 3. the use of NIRF-ICG lymphography in cadavers to support anatomical studies. In the first research line, NIRF-ICG demonstrated comparable performance to the other guided technique in detecting SLNs, lymphoscintigraphy. These findings support the incorporation of NIRF-ICG into routine clinical practice as a reliable and effective tool for lymphatic mapping in small animal oncology. Moreover, the guidance of NIRF-ICG and lymphoscintigraphy may help address the diagnostic challenge of enlarged regional lymph nodes, providing insights into lymphatic drainage alterations in such cases. The second aim explored the clinical application of TFGS using NIRF-ICG in dogs with soft tissue sarcomas (STS) and mast cell tumors (MCT). The study confirmed the feasibility of the technique in both tumor types, with significantly higher performance observed in STS. These results highlight the potential of intraoperative, real-time fluorescence quantification to guide surgical decisions and enhance tumor resection outcomes in clinical practice. Lastly, the pr…
abstract: Near-Infrared Fluorescence (NIRF) imaging is an emerging technology that enables real-time visualization of tissue perfusion and lymphatic structures through the use of fluorescent dyes such as indocyanine green (ICG). Although well-established in human surgery, its clinical application in veterinary surgical oncology is still developing. In recent years, however, interest in this technique has grown rapidly, highlighting its potential to improve surgical precision and intraoperative decision-making in small animal surgical oncology. This PhD project investigates the use of NIRF-ICG imaging to address key challenges in surgical oncology in dogs and cats. The research is structured into three main lines of investigation: 1. the use of NIRF-ICG for sentinel lymph node (SLN) identification and removal 2. the application of real-time tumor fluorescence-guided surgery (TFGS) for intraoperative decision-making regarding surgical margins 3. the use of NIRF-ICG lymphography in cadavers to support anatomical studies. In the first research line, NIRF-ICG demonstrated comparable performance to the other guided technique in detecting SLNs, lymphoscintigraphy. These findings support the incorporation of NIRF-ICG into routine clinical practice as a reliable and effective tool for lymphatic mapping in small animal oncology. Moreover, the guidance of NIRF-ICG and lymphoscintigraphy may help address the diagnostic challenge of enlarged regional lymph nodes, providing insights into lymphatic drainage alterations in such cases. The second aim explored the clinical application of TFGS using NIRF-ICG in dogs with soft tissue sarcomas (STS) and mast cell tumors (MCT). The study confirmed the feasibility of the technique in both tumor types, with significantly higher performance observed in STS. These results highlight the potential of intraoperative, real-time fluorescence quantification to guide surgical decisions and enhance tumor resection outcomes in clinical practice. Lastly, the pr…
author: GARIBOLDI, ELISA MARIA
language: eng
keywords: Settore MVET-05/A - Clinica chirurgica veterinaria
date published: 2026-02-20
date modified: 2026-07-27T20:18:48Z
provider: Università degli Studi di Milano
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Università degli Studi di Milano

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/1212375