July 23: Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Health are part of a national study of more than 1.2 million patients showing that a simple imaging technique used during gallbladder surgery may significantly improve patient safety.
The study, published in the July 22, 2026 online edition of JAMA Surgery, found that using indocyanine green fluorescent imaging during laparoscopic gallbladder removal was associated with:
- Lower risk of bile duct injury (0.25% vs. 0.40%)
- Less likely to need open surgery (0.40% vs. 0.84%)
- Fewer complications after surgery
Gallbladder removal is one of the most common surgeries in the U.S., with more than 700,000 performed annually. While complications are rare, bile duct injury can be life-altering, often requiring additional surgeries and prolonged recovery.
UC San Diego Health surgeons have been early adopters of fluorescent imaging and have contributed to multiple studies evaluating its impact on surgical outcomes. Nicholas Neel, MD, first author of the study and research fellow at UC San Diego School of Medicine, is available to discuss how fluorescent imaging works in the operating room and how this approach could make one of the most common surgeries safer for patients.