Fluorescence-guided surgery of metastatic brain tumors using fluorescein sodium

We aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of fluorescence-guided surgery of metastatic brain tumors using fluorescein sodium. The study comprised 38 patients with metastatic brain tumors who underwent tumor resection after intravenous injection of fluorescein sodium. The local recurrence rate was investigated in 36 of the 38 patients, and compared for patients who had undergone surgery only and surgery plus whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT). In 31 of 36 patients, the tumors had been completely resected using fluorescence-guided surgery. Postoperative WBRT was not performed in 20 of the 31 patients who underwent gross total resection. Although the recurrence rate for these 20 patients was 20%, compared to 9.1% for the 11 patients who also underwent postoperative WBRT, the difference was not statistically significant. Use of fluorescein sodium in metastatic brain tumor surgery may reduce the rate of local recurrence, and thus help improve the quality of life for these patients. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.