Brain tumor resection guided by fluorescence imaging

We present the methods that are being used in the scope of an on-going clinical trial designed to assess the usefulness of ALA-PpIX fluorescence imaging when used in conjunction with pre-operative MRI. The overall objective is to develop imaging-based neuronavigation approaches to aid in maximizing the completeness of brain tumor resection, thereby improving patient survival rate. In this paper we present the imaging methods that are used, emphasizing technical aspects relating to the fluorescence optical microscope, including initial validation approaches based on phantom and small-animal experiments. The surgical workflow is then described in detail based on a high-grade glioma resection we performed.