Improved Detection of Lymph Nodes in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using Indocyanine Green-Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging

Indocyanine green-near-infrared fluorescence imaging showed a 100% success rate and significantly improved the detection rate of lymph nodes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Seven cases with lymph node metastases were all near-infrared positive, while near-infrared-negative nodes were nonmetastatic. The technique accurately identified sentinel lymph nodes and increased the number of resected mediastinal lymph nodes, suggesting its potential in predicting and detecting lymph nodes in this type of cancer.