Utility of Indocyanine Green Video Angiography for Sylvian Fissure Dissection in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients - Sylvian ICG Technique

Indocyanine green (ICG) emits fluorescence in the far-red domain under light excitation. ICG video angiography (ICG-VA) has been established as a useful method to evaluate blood flow in the operative field. We report the usefulness of ICG-VA for Sylvian fissure dissection in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Subjects comprised 7 patients who underwent ICG-VA before opening the Sylvian fissure during neck clipping for ruptured cerebral aneurysm. We observed contrasted Sylvian veins before opening the Sylvian fissure using surgical microscopes. This procedure was termed “Sylvian ICG”. We observed ICG fluorescence quickly in all cases. Sylvian veins that appeared unclear in the standard microscopic operative field covered with subarachnoid hemorrhage were extremely clearly depicted. These Sylvian ICG findings were helpful in identifying entry points and the dissecting course of the Sylvian fissure. At the time of clipping, no residual fluorescence from Sylvian ICG was present, and aneurysm clipping was not impeded. Sylvian ICG for SAH patients is a novel technique to facilitate dissection of the Sylvian fissure. We believe that this technique will contribute to improved safety of clipping surgery for ruptured aneurysms.