Video-rate multispectral imaging in laparoscopic surgery: First-in-human application

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new, compact multispectral imaging system for real-time laparoscopic surgery, enabling rapid spectral imaging at 25 Hz, which can assist in detecting tissue perfusion changes during procedures.

Contribution

A novel, integrated multispectral imaging system compatible with standard laparoscopes that achieves video-rate spectral imaging in clinical settings.

Findings

System successfully records multispectral images at 25 Hz.

Preliminary in-patient study shows potential for perfusion detection.

Enables new clinical applications in minimally invasive surgery.

Abstract

Multispectral and hyperspectral imaging (MSI/HSI) can provide clinically relevant information on morphological and functional tissue properties. Application in the operating room (OR), however, has so far been limited by complex hardware setups and slow acquisition times. To overcome these limitations, we propose a novel imaging system for video-rate spectral imaging in the clinical workflow. The system integrates a small snapshot multispectral camera with a standard laparoscope and a clinically commonly used light source, enabling the recording of multispectral images with a spectral dimension of 16 at a frame rate of 25 Hz. An ongoing in patient study shows that multispectral recordings from this system can help detect perfusion changes in partial nephrectomy surgery, thus opening the doors to a wide range of clinical applications.