A method to identify pulmonary intersegmental planes with intravenous vitamin B 2 injection.

Purpose: The present study investigated whether the pulmonary intersegmental planes could be identified with the intravenous injection of vitamin B ₂ using a fluorescent camera and whether this method can be used instead of the inflation-deflation technique or the intravenous indocyanine green (ICG) method.
Methods: In experiment 1, the vitamin B ₂ was intravenously injected to visualize the pulmonary intersegmental plane and perform segmentectomy, and the visualized pulmonary intersegmental line was then compared to the inflation-deflation line in six pigs. In experiment 2, using six pigs, the fluorescent area and duration of fluorescence were compared after the intravenous injection of vitamin B ₂ and ICG in the same animals.
Results: In all animals in experiment 1, it was possible to clearly detect yellow-green fluorescence in the lung, in segments other than the one intended for resection, for at least 60 min. Moreover, the line visualized with vitamin B ₂ fluorescence matched the inflation-deflation line in all animals. In experiment 2, the area of vitamin B ₂ fluorescence corresponded to the area of ICG fluorescence in each animal.
Conclusions: The visualization of fluorescence after the intravenous injection of vitamin B ₂ using a fluorescent camera was a simple, safe, and accurate method for detecting intersegmental planes in a pig model. This method can be an alternative to the inflation-deflation technique and the intravenous ICG method.