Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39315844›Full record

SynthesisAnnals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England2025

The use of indocyanine green for colorectal anastomoses: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

L Borg, M Portelli, L Testa, P Andrejevic

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

L BorgMater Dei Hospital, Malta.
M PortelliMater Dei Hospital, Malta.
L TestaUniversity of Malta, Malta.
P AndrejevicMater Dei Hospital, Malta.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAnastomotic leak is a relatively common and debilitating complication. Colorectal leak rates vary widely in the literature, ranging from 1% to 20%. In modern surgical practice, there is much emphasis on the use of indocyanine green (ICG). This is a fluorescent dye administered intravenously to locate and predict an adequate line of anastomosis. We sought to analyse the current literature and supporting evidence behind the use of ICG in the context of elective colorectal surgery.

methodsA literature search was conducted for papers published between January 1991 and December 2022 concerning the use of ICG in colorectal surgery. Data on anastomotic leak, overall complication rate, operative time and involvement of artificial intelligence (AI) were compared.

resultsA total of 24 studies were selected, including 3 randomised controlled trials. There was an anastomotic leak rate of 4.3% in cases with ICG administration compared with 9.5% in the control group (

conclusionsWhile there is strong evidence behind ICG use in the existing literature, more randomised controlled trials are required for better recommendations. AI in ICG metric interpretation has proved to be difficult owing to interpatient variability. Nevertheless, new data suggest better understanding and standardisation.

Indexed as

Anastomosis, SurgicalAnastomotic LeakColonColoring AgentsIndocyanine GreenRectumArtificial IntelligenceHumansOperative TimeColoring AgentsIndocyanine Greenanastomosiscolorectalindocyanine greensurgery

Identifiers

PMID39315844
PMCPMC12208740

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.