Indocyanine Green–Guided Lymphadenectomy During Robot‐Assisted Pylorus and Vagus Nerve Preserving Gastrectomy for Early Gastric Cancer: A Single‐Centre Study

Background Near‐infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green (ICG) has been recently introduced for lymphatic mapping in robotic gastrectomy. Methods Sixty‐two patients with early gastric cancer (EGC) were divided into three groups, namely ICG‐guided robotic group (G1; n = 18), conventional robotic group (G2; n = 24), and laparoscopic control group (control; n = 20). The primary endpoints were retrieved LNs, surgical outcomes, and postoperative complications. Results The G1 group retrieved more total LNs than the other two groups; however, this difference was not statistically significant (19.8 vs. 16.1 vs. 16.9, p = 0.197). However, there were statistical differences in perigastric LNs (15 vs. 10.5 vs. 11, p = 0.010). The G1 group had shorter surgical time than G2 (260 vs. 300 min, p < 0.05). Conclusion ICG guided technology aids in achieving a more precise regional LN dissection during robotic gastrectomy for EGC, and is a valuable advancement for gastric cancer surgery. Clinical trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2500106082)