Bi-modal near-infrared fluorescence and ultrasound imaging via a transparent ultrasound transducer for sentinel lymph node localization
Jeongwoo Park, Byullee Park, Uijung Yong, Joongho Ahn, Jin Young Kim, Hyung Ham Kim, Jinah Jang, Chulhong Kim
Abstract
Sentinel lymph node biopsy with an indocyanine green-based near-infrared fluorescence imaging system avoids the shortcomings of using a radioisotope or a combination of a blue dye and a radioactive tracer. To improve surgical precision, recent research has provided a depth profile of the sentinel lymph node by fusing fluorescence and ultrasound imaging. Here, we present a combined near-infrared fluorescence and ultrasound imaging system based on a transparent ultrasound transducer. The transparent ultrasound transducer enables seamless coaxial alignment of the fluorescence and ultrasound beam paths, allowing bi-modal observation of a single region of interest. Further, we demonstrate that the sentinel lymph node of mice injected with indocyanine green can be successfully localized and dissected based on information from the bi-modal imaging system.