First Published Clinical Study Demonstrates Feasibility of Fluorescence Imaging in Orthopaedic Surgery

The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust researchers publish the first clinical evidence supporting the use of real-time fluorescence imaging during revision knee arthroplasty for periprosthetic joint infection.

PITTSBURGH and BIRMINGHAM, England, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MolecuLight and The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (ROH), today announced the publication of the first clinical study evaluating fluorescence imaging during orthopaedic surgery. 

Published in BMJ Open, the independently conducted feasibility study by leading surgeons at the ROH, "Can a fluorescent imaging device (MolecuLight) function as an adjunct to surgical debridement during revision knee arthroplasty for periprosthetic infection in a tertiary centre: a feasibility study," reports the first clinical evidence supporting the use of the MolecuLightDX imaging device during revision knee arthroplasty for periprosthetic joint infection.

Periprosthetic joint infection is one of the most serious complications following joint replacement surgery. Complete removal of infected tissue through radical surgical debridement is critical to reducing the risk of persistent or recurrent infection yet identifying all areas of bacterial contamination remains challenging.

In this prospective 10 patient pilot study conducted at the ROH, surgeons used MolecuLight fluorescence imaging following standard surgical debridement to assess the operative field for residual bacterial burden. Areas exhibiting bacterial fluorescence that had not been identified during the initial debridement were subsequently biopsied, with microbiological analysis confirming the presence of the same bacterial species responsible for the periprosthetic joint infection. 

"This feasibility study is suggestive that the MolecuLight device may assist surgeons in improving their radical debridement at the time of revision surgery of the knee for prosthetic joint infection, which is considered the key step to minimising the morbidity of recurrent infection," said Professor Jonathon Stevenson, senior author and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham. "This is the first step in understanding how MolecuLight can be used to assist in these complicated surgeries. Further, larger studies are required to confirm these exciting and novel findings." 

Mr James Archer, Speciality Registrar in Trauma and Orthopaedics at the ROH and the first author, echoes "This feasibility study provides the first work to demonstrate that MolecuLight may be able to aid surgeons intra-operatively during revision surgery for periprosthetic joint infection of the knee. We look forward to performing larger studies to examine this in more detail."

"This publication represents an important milestone for fluorescence imaging beyond chronic wound care," said Anil Amlani, Chief Executive Officer of MolecuLight. "We commend the outstanding work of Professor Stevenson, Mr. Archer and the team at the ROH. Their research provides the first published evidence supporting the potential use of real time fluorescence imaging during orthopaedic surgery and establishes an important foundation for future clinical investigation." 

This publication opens up new avenues for MolecuLight's growing role in perioperative surgical applications worldwide. By providing surgeons with immediate visual information about residual bacterial burden that may otherwise remain undetected, this technology has the potential to support more informed intraoperative decision making. Further research to relate these findings to positive surgical outcomes could demonstrate a decrease in additional resection surgeries and fewer infection complications.

About The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest specialist orthopaedic units in Europe, offering planned orthopaedic surgery to people locally, nationally, and internationally. The Trust is an accredited Veteran Aware organisation and a Disability Confident Leader. The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital has a vibrant research portfolio of clinical trials, observational studies and laboratory studies exploring new treatment options, new approaches in rehabilitation and therapy, and new medical devices. This research is delivered by our researchers and clinicians spread across the Knowledge Hub, our home for education and research, and the Dubrowsky Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, a state-of-the-art lab opened in 2019. You can find out more about the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital at roh.nhs.uk

About MolecuLight  

MolecuLight is a privately owned medical imaging company with a global presence that manufactures and commercializes the MolecuLight i:X® and DX^® wound imaging devices. These Class II FDA-cleared, point of-care imaging systems enable the real-time detection of elevated bacterial burden in wounds and provide accurate digital wound measurement for comprehensive wound management, supported by over 100 peer reviewed publications. With the addition of the new Thermal Imaging Module, the MolecuLightDX now enables clinicians to visualize and quantify clinically relevant temperature changes at the point of care.

SOURCE MolecuLight