Innovative fluorescence imaging technology aids surgeons

ANCHORAGE — Dr. Karen Barbosa of Alaska Breast Care Specialists in Anchorage announced recently that plastic and reconstructive, colorectal and other surgeries may now benefit from an innovative imaging technology called the SPY Elite Fluorescence Imaging System. The use of SPY Elite may help surgeons make critical decisions during surgery based on the quality of blood flow in vessels and micro vessels that provide oxygen to organs.

Most often called tissue perfusion or simply perfusion, adequate blood flow is critical to tissue health and the ability to visualize blood flow in real-time may assist surgeons in achieving lower rates of postoperative complications and improved surgical outcomes. Dr. Karen Barbosa, the only Breast Fellowship trained surgeon in Alaska, is the first surgeon to implement this advanced technology during breast surgery in the entire state. She brought SPY Elite to Alaska Regional Hospital specifically to improve patient care and give patients more options to keep their care local.

Traditionally, surgeons relied solely on their clinical judgment to determine whether or not tissue was receiving adequate perfusion to remain viable or healthy. The ability to visualize perfusion intra-operatively may assist surgeons in many clinical decisions including where to make an incision and/or how much tissue to remove during an operation.

Today at Alaska Regional Hospital, surgeons will utilize SPY Elite to see beyond what the human eye can see which will enhance their clinical judgement and help them optimize patient outcomes.

SPY Elite uses a near-infrared low powered laser light source to stimulate a fluorescent imaging agent that has been injected into the blood stream. The fluorescent agent binds to the proteins in blood and circulates through the body.

When stimulated by light, the agent emits a fluorescence signal of blood flowing through even the tiniest of vessels and into tissue. The fluorescence is captured by a special camera and is displayed on a video monitor for the surgeon to review. Since the agent is bound to blood, where blood goes, it goes. If there is no fluorescence, it can mean that there is compromised blood flow. In situations of poor perfusion, surgeons can make certain decisions or take action while the patient is still in the operating room, which may reduce the need for additional surgery. Unlike traditional X-ray, which can be cumbersome to perform in surgery, the SPY Elite technology does not involve ionizing radiation and is considered extremely safe for both patients and staff.

“Having SPY Elite will allow myself and other surgeons to see subclinical changes in microperfusion while in the operating room so that we may remove compromised tissue that looks good today but may not survive over the next several days. This will potentially reduce complications and returns to the operating room for additional surgery. Spy Elite may not be necessary for every case but it’s reassuring to know I have it here for the difficult ones when I need it.

In addition to allowing me to bring newer, safer reconstructive options to Alaska, SPY Elite has also allowed me to take part in research efforts focused on innovative Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Evaluation with fluorescence imaging.”

SPY Fluorescence technology was the first fluorescence imaging system cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration and today is cleared for use in seven different applications including coronary artery bypass graft surgery, plastic, reconstructive and micro-surgery, colorectal surgery, organ transplant, vascular and minimally invasive surgery. SPY Technology is available in different platforms that meet the specific needs of surgeons performing a variety of open and minimally invasive surgical procedures.

Dr. Karen Barbosa

Alaska Breast Care Specialists

2741 DeBarr Road, Bldg C, Ste. 402

Anchorage, AK 99508

907-222-