Laser Tomography for Lymphatic Supermicrosurgery

Preoperative and intraoperative detection and selection of the lymphatic vessels are important for maximizing therapeutic efficacy of lymphaticovenular anastomosis. Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging and ultrasonography have been reported to be useful for intraoperative identification of the lymphatic vessels, but they have limitations. Intraoperative laser tomography overcomes the weakness of the conventional techniques. Microscope-integrated laser tomography provides real-time images of the lymphatic vessels in extremely high resolution and enables objective intraoperative evaluation of lymphatic degeneration.