Adaptation of Agronomic Multispectral Cameras for Photodocumentation of Human Tissue During Thyroid Surgery

Multispectral imaging (MSI) enables the acquisition of visual information across multiple isolated visible and near-infrared spectral bands, thereby extending the capability of biological tissue differentiation beyond standard RGB recording. This paper investigates multispectral photodocumentation of a thyroid surgical procedure using two cameras, each providing three spectrally isolated channels. The study examines the feasibility of repurposing portable multispectral cameras originally designed for agronomic remote sensing for enhanced documentation of surgical procedures. The required technical adaptations are described, and the information captured within individual spectral regions under intraoperative conditions is analyzed. Image acquisition was performed in a real operating room environment, and the recorded data was decomposed into individual spectral channels to examine information not visible to the unaided eye in both the visible and near-infrared ranges. The results confirm the feasibility and repeatability of the proposed approach and establish the fundamental steps for adapting such cameras for surgical photodocumentation. The findings demonstrate that existing, relatively affordable, and readily accessible equipment can be repurposed, and that the resulting multispectral material is suitable for integration into medical education.