Improved surgical resection of human brain tumors: Part I. A preliminary study.

Twenty-three patients underwent craniotomies for brain malignancies. One hundred eleven fluorescein-stained and 75 nonstained tissue biopsies were obtained for histopathological examination using a special arc-lighting system connected to a conventional surgical headlight. Of the 75 nonstained specimens, 71 (94.7%) were negative for tumor and 4 demonstrated the presence of tumor. Ninety-four (84.7%) of the fluorescent tissues obtained were reported as having neoplasia and the remaining 17 showed characteristics consistent with necrotic tissue debris. All stained tissues obtained in this study demonstrated visible fluorescence within neoplastic tissue margins harboring abnormally permeable blood-brain barriers.