Histopathological and Quantitative Correlates of Intraoperative Narrow Band Imaging in Brain Metastasis Surgery

Abstract

Simple Summary Surgeons removing brain tumors that spread from other cancers need a reliable way to see where the tumor ends and healthy brain begins. We tested narrow-band imaging (NBI), a light-based technique that highlights blood vessels without any drug, in a retrospective, exploratory study of 25 patients having brain metastasis surgery. In three patients, tissue samples suggested that grayish NBI-appearing areas contained tumor cells while adjacent whitish areas did not; this observation was not blinded and is preliminary. Using computer image analysis in all 25 patients, NBI increased visual contrast between tumor and normal brain compared with white light, although this benefit varied and was not seen in every patient. NBI may become a simple, repeatable, drug-free surgical aid, although prospective, blinded studies are needed before it can guide treatment decisions.