Intraoperative hyperspectral imaging for real-time quantitative fluorescence-guided surgery of low-grade glioma

Brain tumour surgery for low-grade glioma (LGG) improves patient outcome and survival but is very challenging. Even with the most advanced surgical techniques it remains difficult to determine tumour from healthy brain tissue. Advanced surgical methods can use light (fluorescence) created by the tumour to guide surgery. However, in the case of LGG, hardly any fluorescence light is visible, and each surgeon may judge the location and amount of light differently. Recent smart camera systems have the potential to enhance the surgeon’s vision to more reliably identify tumour and healthy brain structures. Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is one of the most promising of such technologies providing rich information that is invisible to the human eye and could provide accurate and detailed measurements of tumour fluorescence. Using HSI, this study aims to develop objective surgical guidance to provide detailed real-time tissue margin information during surgery providing a step-change for treating LGG patients.