A glowing dye used during surgery for a nerve tumor near the ear
Original title: Safety and surgical outcomes of fluorescein sodium use in vestibular schwannoma: experience from 55 consecutive cases.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
Doctors looked back at surgeries already done in people, so this was watched in patients but not tested in a real trial.
The short version
Doctors looked back at 55 surgeries where a dye was used to help the surgeon see the tumor, and the dye looked safe.
What was studied. Doctors reviewed the records of 55 patients who had surgery to remove a vestibular schwannoma. This is a non-cancer tumor on the nerve between the ear and the brain. Each patient was given a dye called fluorescein sodium during surgery, at a dose of 5 mg/kg, to make the tumor easier to see.
What they found. Tumors that took up more dye tended to have more of the tumor removed. Face movement, which can be harmed by this surgery, got better over time, especially in the patients whose tumors took up more dye. Hearing loss after surgery was more common in those same patients, but the doctors think that is because those surgeries were harder, not because of the dye. There was no sign that the dye harmed the kidneys.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: If you are facing this surgery, this dye may be one more tool your surgeon can use to see the tumor more clearly. In this group it did not appear to cause harm. It is worth asking your surgeon whether they use it and why.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean the dye makes surgery safer or better. The doctors did not compare these patients to a group who had surgery without the dye. So there is no way to know if the dye caused any of the results. This was a look back at past surgeries at one place, not a planned trial. The authors say their own findings are only a starting point for future research. This is not a cure for the tumor, and it does not change who needs surgery.
Source: PubMed, August 1, 2026 · Read the original
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