The safety of intravenous fluorescein for confocal laser endomicroscopy in the gastrointestinal tract

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 31, 548–552 Summary Background  Confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) is rapidly emerging as a valuable tool for gastrointestinal endoscopic imaging. Fluorescent contrast agents are used to optimize imaging with CLE, and intravenous fluorescein is the most widely used contrast agent. Fluorescein is FDA-cleared for diagnostic angiography of the retina. For these indications, the safety profile of fluorescein has been well-documented; however, to date, fluorescein is not cleared for use with CLE. Aims  To estimate the rate of serious and total adverse events attributable to intravenous fluorescein when used for gastrointestinal CLE. Methods  We performed a cross sectional…