Fluorescence imaging technology 'allows partial kidney removal'

Fluorescence imaging technology has been used to create a new treatment option for patients with kidney cancer, allowing surgeons to remove only a portion of the kidney instead of the entire organ.

The new procedure, called Firefly, is now being used in a hospital in Northeast Alabama, where Dr Manish Shah of Clinical Urology Associates became the first surgeon to use the technique.

Lloyd Ford, chief executive officer at Riverview, said: “The Firefly allows our surgeons even greater precision and flexibility in treating their patients with kidney cancer.

“The growth of our robotic surgery program has helped us to acquire the latest advances in robotics to better serve our patients.”

Fluorescence imaging technology, coupled with real-time, three-dimensional visualization and fully articulated instruments increases the chances of long-term survival, as well as making day-to-day lives more comfortable. Currently, around four in five patients with small renal masses have their entire kidney removed through nephrectomy.

Posted by Fiona Griffiths