Compendium

Publications on the use of sodium fluorescein in fluorescence-guided surgery

Focusing on neurosurgical indications

7 November 2025 · 10 min read

Compiled by ZEISS Medical Technology

SUMMARY

List of articles about sodium fluorescein in fluorescence-guided surgery

This literature compendium presents an overview of peer-reviewed publications discussing the use of sodium fluorescein in fluorescence-guided neurosurgical procedures across various oncological and cerebrovascular indications. The objective is to compile and share evidence-based medical insights into the application of sodium fluorescein to support knowledge exchange within the neurosurgical community.

Each publication is based on the author´s own professional opinion or on their study results. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG and may not be in line with the clinical evaluation or intended purpose of our medical devices. Therefore, suitability of clinical application for each publication should be carefully assessed by the concerned physician.

Year	Title	Publication type (study design)	Journal	Authors
2024 May	Fluorescein-guided surgery in high-grade gliomas: focusing on the eloquent and deep-seated areas Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=67)	Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology	Xiao Y, Li M, Wang X, Tan J, Qin C, Liu Q
2024 Apr	Prognostic impact of sodium fluorescein-guided microsurgery on cognitive function, neuropeptide dynamics, and short-term outcomes in brain glioma patients Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=107)	American Journal of Cancer Research	Tan Y, Yu Y, Liao X, Yu L, Lai H, Li X, Wang C, Wu S, Liu C, Feng D
2023 Aug	How reliable is fluorescence-guided surgery in low-grade gliomas? A systematic review concerning different fluorophores Link to Publication	Systematic review	Cancers	Bianconi A, Bonada M, Zeppa P, Colonna S, Tartara F, Melcarne A, Garbossa D, Cofano F
2023 Jun	Fluorescein-guided surgery for high-grade glioma resection: a five-year-long retrospective study at our institute Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=112)	Frontiers in Oncology	Xi C, Jinli S, Jianyao M, Yan C, Huijuan L, Zhongjie S, Zhangyu L, Liwei Z, Yukui L, Sifang C, Guowei T
2023 May	Could fluorescein staining in low-grade glial tumors guide for peroperative differentiation of pathological types? Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, n=46)	Turkish Neurosurgery	Ozden M, Mammadkhanli O, Zaimoglu M, Bayatli E, Bozkurt M
2022 Dec	Towards an established intraoperative oncological favorable tool: results of fluorescein-guided resection from a monocentric, prospective series of 93 primary glioblastoma patients Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=93)	Journal of Clinical Medicine	Falco J, Rubiu E, Broggi M, Farinotti M, Vetrano IG, Schiariti M, Anghileri E, Eoli M, Pollo B, Moscatelli M, Restelli F, Mazzapicchi E, La Corte E, Bonomo G, Gemma M, Broggi G, Ferroli P, Acerbi F
2022 Nov	Fluorescein-guided resection of newly diagnosed high-grade glioma: Impact on extent of resection and outcome Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=347)	Brain and Spine	Schebesch KM, Höhne J, Rosengarth K, Noeva E, Schmidt NO, Proescholdt M
2022 Aug	Fluorescein-guided surgery for the resection of pilocytic astrocytomas: A multicentric retrospective study Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, multicenter, n=44)	Frontiers in Oncology	Falco J, Höhne J, Broggi M, Rubiu E, Restelli F, Vetrano IG, Schiariti M, Mazzapicchi E, Bonomo G, Ferroli P, Schebesch KM, Acerbi F
2022 Jan	Effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid and sodium fluorescein on the extent of resection in high-grade gliomas and brain metastasis Link to Publication	Review	Cancers	Ahrens LC, Krabbenhøft MG, Hansen RW, Mikic N, Pedersen CB, Poulsen FR, Korshoej AR
2021 Nov	Fluorescein-guided resection of high grade gliomas: a meta-analysis Link to Publication	Systematic review and meta-analysis	World Neurosurgery	Smith EJ, Gohil K, Thompson CM, Naik A, Hassaneen W
2021 Aug	Supratentorial high-grade gliomas: maximal safe anatomical resection guided by augmented reality highdefinition fiber tractography and fluorescein Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=117)	Neurosurgical Focus	Luzzi S, Giotta Lucifero A, Martinelli A, Maestro MD, Savioli G, Simoncelli A, Lafe E, Preda L, Galzio R
2020 Jul	Lighting up the tumor-fluorescein-guided resection of gangliogliomas Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, multicenter, n=18)	Journal of Clinical Medicine	Höhne J, Acerbi F, Falco J, Akçakaya MO, Schmidt NO, Kiris T, de Laurentis C, Ferroli P, Broggi M, Schebesch KM
2019 Oct	Comparison of 5-aminolevulinic acid and sodium fluorescein for intraoperative tumor visualization in patients with high-grade gliomas: a single-center retrospective study Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=209)	Journal of Neurosurgery	Hansen RW, Pedersen CB, Halle B, Korshoej AR, Schulz MK, Kristensen BW, Poulsen FR
2019 Aug	Fluorescein application in cranial and spinal tumors enhancing at preoperative MRI and operated with a dedicated filter on the surgical microscope: preliminary results in 279 patients enrolled in the FLUOCERTUM prospective study Link to Publication	Original article (prospective, single-center, n=279)	Frontiers in Surgery	Falco J, Cavallo C, Vetrano IG, de Laurentis C, Siozos L, Schiariti M, Broggi M, Ferroli P, Acerbi F
2019 May	Fluorescein sodium in the surgical treatment of recurrent glioblastoma multiforme Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, multicenter, n=106)	World Neurosurgery	Höhne J, Schebesch KM, de Laurentis C, Akçakaya MO, Pedersen CB, Brawanski A, Poulsen FR, Kiris T, Cavallo C, Broggi M, Ferroli P, Acerbi F
2018 Sep	Fluorescence-guidance in non-Gadolinium enhancing, but FET-PET positive gliomas Link to Publication	Original article (single-center, n=5)	Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery	Schebesch KM, Brawanski A, Doenitz C, Rosengarth K, Proescholdt M, Riemenschneider MJ, Grosse J, Hellwig D, Höhne J
2018 May	Sodium fluorescein facilitates guided sampling of diagnostic tumor tissue in nonenhancing gliomas Link to Publication	Original article (n=13)	Neurosurgery	Bowden SG, Neira JA, Gill BJA, Ung TH, Englander ZK, Zanazzi G, Chang PD, Samanamud J, Grinband J, Sheth SA, McKhann GM 2nd, Sisti MB, Canoll P, D'Amico RS, Bruce JN
2018 Jan	Fluorescein-guided surgery for resection of high-grade gliomas: a multicentric prospective phase II study (FLUOGLIO) Link to Publication	Original article (prospective, multicenter, n=46)	Clinical Cancer Research	Acerbi F, Broggi M, Schebesch KM, Höhne J, Cavallo C, De Laurentis C, Eoli M, Anghileri E, Servida M, Boffano C, Pollo B, Schiariti M, Visintini S, Montomoli C, Bosio L, La Corte E, Broggi G, Brawanski A, Ferroli P

Year	Title	Publication type (study design)	Journal	Authors
2024 Aug	Sodium fluorescein-guided resection of brain metastases: A needed approach or an option? A systematic review and meta-analysis Link to Publication	Systematic review and meta-analysis	Acta Neurochirurgica	Ohadi MAD, Dashtkoohi M, Babaei MR, Zamani R, Dashtkoohi M, Hadjipanayis CG.
2024 Jul	Comparative efficacy and safety of sodium fluorescein-guided surgery versus standard white light for resection of brain metastases: a systematic review and meta-analysis Link to Publication	Systematic review and meta-analysis	Journal of Neuro-Oncology	Ferreira MY, Antônia O M Pereira M, Hemais M, Bocanegra-Becerra JE, Cheidde L, de Oliveira Almeida G, Santos AB, Hong A, Rocha IM, Palavani LB, Polverini AD, Bertani R, Singha S, Ferreira C, Boockvar JA.
2023 Nov	Sodium-fluorescein-guided awake surgery for cerebral metastases located in eloquent brain areas: technical notes and preliminary experiences Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=37)	Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences	Türkkan A, Ocak P, Khezri MK, Bekar A
2023 Nov	What have we learned in fluorescein-guided resection of brain metastases? An update after 79 consecutive cases Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=79)	Journal of Neurosurgical Sciences	Falco J, Broggi M, Rubiu E, Restelli F, Pollo B, Schiariti M, Lanteri P, Stanziano M, LA Corte E, Mazzapicchi E, Vetrano IG, Ferroli P, Acerbi F
2023 Aug	Brain metastasis resection: the impact of fluorescence guidance (MetResect study) Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=539)	Neurosurgical Focus	Schebesch KM, Höhne J, Noeva E, Pukrop T, Araceli T, Schmidt NO, Proescholdt M
2023 Jan	Mind the gap—the use of sodium fluoresceine for resection of brain metastases to improve the resection rate Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=79)	Acta Neurochirurgica	Kerschbaumer J, Demetz M, Krigers A, Pinggera D, Spinello A, Thomé C, Freyschlag CF
2022 Feb	Fluorescein-guided resection of cerebral metastases is associated with greater tumor resection Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=117)	Acta Neurochirurgica	Kofoed MS, Pedersen CB, Schulz MK, Kristensen BW, Hansen RW, Markovic L, Halle B, Poulsen FR

Year	Title	Publication type (study design)	Journal	Authors
2024 Aug	Fluorescence guidance in skull base surgery: applications and limitations - a systematic review Link to Publication	Systematic review	Brain and Spine	Suero Molina E, Bruneau M, Reuter G, Shahein M, Cavallo LM, Daniel RT, Kasper EM, Froelich S, Jouanneau E, Manet R, Messerer M, Mazzatenta D, Meling TR, Roche PH, Schroeder HW, Tatagiba M, Visocchi M, Prevedello DM, Stummer W, Cornelius JF
2022 Dec	Fluorescein-assisted microsurgical resection of vestibular schwannoma: a prospective feasibility study Link to Publication	Original article (prospective, single-center, n=11)	Otology & Neurotology	Chan SA, Macielak RJ, Tuchscherer AM, Neff BA, Driscoll CLW, Peris-Celda M, Van Gompel JJ, Link MJ, Carlson ML
2017 Nov	Use of sodium fluorescein in meningioma surgery performed under the YELLOW-560 nm surgical microscope filter: feasibility and preliminary results Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=30)	World Neurosurgery	Akçakaya MO, Göker B, Kasımcan MÖ, Hamamcıoğlu MK, Kırış T

Year	Title	Publication type (study design)	Journal	Authors
2024 Oct	Role of sodium fluorescein in pediatric low-grade glioma surgery: an update Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=42)	Child's Nervous System	de Laurentis C, Pasquali C, Beuriat PA, Mottolese C, Szathmari A, Vinchon M, Di Rocco F
2024 Mar	The application of sodium fluorescein in resection of medulloblastoma under YELLOW 560 filter: feasibility and preliminary results of a monocentric cohort and systematic review Link to Publication	Original article with systematic literature review (retrospective, single-center, n=9)	World Neurosurgery	Falco J, Broggi M, Rubiu E, Schiariti M, Restelli F, Mazzapicchi E, La Corte E, Ferroli P, Acerbi F
2023 Jun	Sodium fluorescein in pediatric neurosurgery: a systematic review with technical considerations and future perspectives Link to Publication	Systematic review	Child's Nervous System	de Laurentis C, Bteich F, Beuriat PA, Mottolese C, Giussani C, Szathmari A, Vinchon M, Di Rocco F
2023 Jun	Sodium fluorescein in pediatric oncological neurosurgery: a pilot study on 50 children Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=50)	Child's Nervous System	de Laurentis C, Bteich F, Beuriat PA, Almeida LCA, Combet S, Mottolese C, Vinchon M, Szathmari A, Di Rocco F
2023 Jun	The role of sodium fluorescein in pediatric supratentorial intra-axial tumor resection: new insights from a monocentric series of 33 consecutive patients Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=33)	Child's Nervous System	Falco J, Broggi M, Schiariti M, Vetrano IG, Esposito S, Ferroli P, Acerbi F
2023 Jun	The use of the sodium fluorescein and YELLOW 560 nm filter for the resection of pediatric posterior fossa lesions Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=19)	Child's Nervous System	Ott C, Proescholdt M, Friedrich M, Hoehne J, Rosengarth K, Schmidt NO, Schebesch KM
2022 Aug	Fluorescein-guided surgery for the resection of pilocytic astrocytomas: A multicentric retrospective study Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, multicenter, n=44)	Frontiers in Oncology	Falco J, Höhne J, Broggi M, Rubiu E, Restelli F, Vetrano IG, Schiariti M, Mazzapicchi E, Bonomo G, Ferroli P, Schebesch KM, Acerbi F
2019 Mar	Sodium fluorescein–guided brain tumor surgery under the YELLOW-560-nm surgical microscope filter in pediatric age group: feasibility and preliminary results Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=23)	Child's Nervous System	Göker B, Kırış T

Year	Title	Publication type (study design)	Journal	Authors
2024 Nov	Utility of sodium fluorescein during peripheral nerve tumor surgery: a scoping review of indications, techniques, and outcomes Link to Publication	Systematic review	World Neurosurgery	Mohamed Z. Asfour, Carmelo Venero, Jonathan Mo, Clayton Gerndt, Mayur Sharma, Norberto Andaluz, Afnan M. Sami, Kiarash Shahlaie, Paolo Palmisciano
2024 Apr	A light in the darkness: sodium fluorescein-assisted peripheral nerve sheath tumors resection - a comprehensive systematic review and single-arm meta-analysis Link to Publication	Systematic review and meta-analysis	Neurosurgical Review	Verly G, Delfino T, Oliveira LB, Batista S, Sousa MP, Schevz R, Ferreira MY, Bertani R
2023 Jan	Assessing the role of sodium fluorescein in peripheral nerve sheath tumors and mimicking lesions surgery: an update after 142 cases Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=142)	Frontiers in Oncology	Nazzi V, Innocenti N, Castelli N, Tramacere I, Eoli M, Cojazzi V, Gatti L, Acerbi F, Falco J, Vetrano IG
2021 Mar	Intraoperative sodium-fluorescence imaging in peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNST) - a new additional promising diagnostic tool Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=10)	Frontiers in Oncology	Pedro MT, Grübel N, Durner G, Pala A, Wirtz CR, Koenig RW

Year	Title	Publication type (study design)	Journal	Authors
2022 Jun	Fluorescein-guided surgery for intradural spinal tumors: a single-center experience Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=14)	Brain and Spine	Cardali SM, Ricciardo G, Garufi G, Raffa G, Messineo F, Scalia G, Conti A, Germanò A
2022 Apr	Application of sodium fluorescein for spinal cord lesions: intraoperative localization for tissue biopsy and surgical resection Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=12)	Neurosurgical Review	Ung TH, Serva S, Chatain GP, Witt JP, Finn M
2022 Mar	Intraoperative application of yellow fluorescence in resection of intramedullary spinal canal ependymoma Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=56)	Journal of International Medical Research	Sun Z, Yuan D, Sun Y, Guo Y, Wang G, Zhang P, Wang J, Shi W, Wang G

Year	Title	Publication type (study design)	Journal	Authors
2024 Oct	Sodium fluorescein and 5-aminolevulinic acid fluorescence- guided biopsy in brain lesions: a systematic review and meta-analysis Link to Publication	Systematic review and meta-analysis	Journal of Neuro-Oncology	Gomes FC, Ferreira MY, Larcipretti ALL, Freitas BCB, Andreão FF, Turpin J, Bertani R, Singha S, Polverini AD, Ferreira C, Dellaretti M, D'Amico RS
2024 Sep	Efficacy, safety, and impact of fluorescein in frameless stereotactic needle biopsies - a case series Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=120)	Neurosurgical Review	Dellaretti M, de Lima FBF, de Sena PHVP, Figueiredo HPG, Albuquerque JPS, Gomes FC, Dias Faria BC, de Almeida JC.
2024 Apr	Fluorescence assisted stereotactic biopsy of contrast-enhancing brain lesions: can YELLOW 560-nm filter substitute frozen section? Link to Publication	Original article (prospective, single-center, n=20)	World Neurosurgery	Mahakul DJ, Agarwal J
2023 Aug	Sodium fluorescein application in brain tumor biopsy Link to Publication	Original article (n=106)	Journal of Neurosurgical Sciences	Narducci A, Ronchetti G, Minardi M, Vercelli GG, Nunziata R, Carlino CF, Nannucci F, Nurisso C, Pretti PF, Griva F
2022 Jun	Correlation of tumor pathology with fluorescein uptake and MRI contrast-enhancement in stereotactic biopsies Link to Publication	Original article (prospective, single-center, n=44)	Journal of Clinical Medicine	Xu R, Rösler J, Teich W, Radke J, Früh A, Scherschinski L, Onken J, Vajkoczy P, Misch M, Faust K
2022 Jun	Use of fluorescein sodium–assisted intraoperative sample validation to maximize the diagnostic yield of stereotactic brain biopsy: progress toward a new standard of care? Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=103)	Journal of Neurosurgery	Bianco A, Del Maestro M, Fanti A, Airoldi C, Fleetwood T, Crobeddu E, Cossandi C
2020 Jan	Sodium fluorescein as intraoperative visualization tool during peripheral nerve biopsies Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=5)	World Neurosurgery	Pedro MT, Eissler A, Scheuerle A, Schmidberger J, Kratzer W, Wirtz CR, Antoniadis G, Koenig RW

Year	Title	Publication type (study design)	Journal	Authors
2025 Apr	Sodium fluorescein video angiography-assisted clipping of intracranial aneurysms: a systematic review and meta-analysis Link to Publication	Systematic review and meta-analysis	Journal of Clinical Neuroscience	Campos Cardoso LJ, Ferreira MY, Scherer RT, Fukunaga CK, Bocanegra-Becerra JE, Günkan A, Ferreira C, Ellis J, Serulle Y, Langer D
2024 Sep	Comparison of intraoperative sodium fluorescein and indocyanine green videoangiography during intracranial aneurysm and arteriovenous malformation surgery Link to Publication	Original article (prospective, n=49)	Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery	Kırış T, Akçakaya MO
2024 Aug	Application of fluorescein sodium videoangiography in aneurysm surgery Link to Publication	Original article (prospective, single-center, n=57)	Journal of Clinical Neuroscience	Dellaretti M, Guimarães Soares A, Douglas de Oliveira Lima A, Tavares de Melo M, Dilella Acherman N, Faglioni Junior W, Silva Costa B
2024 May	Fluorescein-guided surgery for arteriovenous malformation Link to Publication	Video article (n=1)	World Neurosurgery	Dellaretti M, Soares AG
2024 Mar	Fluorescein videoangiography (FL-VAG) as a predictor of cerebral bypass patency Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=26)	World Neurosurgery: X	Nathal E, Degollado-García J, Rodríguez-Rubio HA, Bonilla-Suástegui A, Serrano-Rubio A
2023 May	Intraoperative visualization of flow in direct cerebrospinal fluid-venous fistulas using intrathecal fluorescein Link to Publication	Original article (retrospective, single-center, n=4)	Operative Neurosurgery	Häni L, El Rahal A, Fung C, Volz F, Kraus LM, Lützen N, Urbach H, Schnell O, Beck J
2019 Sep	Application of fluorescein fluorescence in vascular neurosurgery Link to Publication	Review	Frontiers in Surgery	Zhao X, Belykh E, Cavallo C, Valli D, Gandhi S, Preul MC, Vajkoczy P, Lawton MT, Nakaji P
2015 Mar	A prospective comparative study of microscope-integrated intraoperative fluorescein and indocyanine videoangiography for clip ligation of complex cerebral aneurysms Link to Publication	Original article (prospective, n=22)	Journal of Neurosurgery	Lane B, Bohnstedt BN, Cohen-Gadol AA

Year	Title	Publication type (study design)	Journal	Authors
2024 Oct	Enlightening the invisible: applications, limits and perspectives of intraoperative fluorescence in neurosurgery Link to Publication	Review	Brain and Spine	Cossu G, Le Van T, Kerherve L, Houidi SA, Morlaix E, Bonneville F, Chapon R, Baland O, Cao C, Lleu M, Farah W, El Cadhi A, Beaurain J, Picart T, Xu B, Berhouma M
2024 Jul	Fluorescence-guided surgical techniques in adult diffuse low-grade gliomas: state-of-the-art and emerging techniques: a systematic review. Link to Publication	Systematic review	Cancers (Basel)	Picart T, Gautheron A, Caredda C, Ray C, Mahieu-Williame L, Montcel B, Guyotat J
2022 Jan	Effect of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid and Sodium Fluorescein on the Extent of Resection in High-Grade Gliomas and Brain Metastasis Link to Publication	Review	Cancers (Basel)	Ahrens LC, Krabbenhøft MG, Hansen RW, Mikic N, Pedersen CB, Poulsen FR, Korshoej AR
2021 Jun	Fluorescence-guided surgery: a review on timing and use in brain tumor surgery Link to Publication	Review	Frontiers in Neurology	Schupper AJ, Rao M, Mohammadi N, Baron R, Lee JYK, Acerbi F, Hadjipanayis CG