Robotic Bronchoscopy
Waiting to hear if you have lung cancer no doubt brings up feelings of apprehension, worry and fear. Pulmonologists on staff at the hospitals of Powers Health are using advanced technology to help ease the wait after lung biopsy and find answers sooner.
Robotic bronchoscopy is designed to keep the lung biopsy procedure as minimally invasive as possible making it easier to reach nodules deep in the lung. The physician is in control of the robotic arms that provide greater stability when navigating through the airways of the lungs during a biopsy procedure
Using a combination of real-time visualization and electromagnetic navigation, a pulmonologist has a direct roadmap to locate the nodule, allowing for swift biopsy and testing of the nodule.
Not all lung nodules are cancerous. In fact, more than half of these lesions are noncancerous or benign. Lung nodules may have different causes, including smoking, scar tissue or previous infection.
Robotic bronchoscopy when used in conjunction with endobronchial ultrasound or EBUS, offers a minimally invasive way to stage cancer and see if the cancer has spread. This method helps doctors determine the appropriate treatment.
EBUS allows physicians to perform a technique known as transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) to obtain tissue or fluid samples from the lungs and surrounding lymph nodes without surgery. The samples may be used for diagnosing and staging lung cancer, detecting infections and identifying inflammatory diseases that affect the lungs.
The MONARCH™ Platform reaches deep into the periphery of the lung. Once at the target, easily adjust the bronchoscope tip with precise, sub-millimeter movements using a handheld style controller. The robotic bronchoscope provides stability, maintaining the scope tip position during biopsy.
The Intuitive Ion endoluminal system is designed to address a challenging aspect of lung biopsy by enabling physicians to obtain tissue samples from deep within the lung. The Ion system features an ultra-thin, ultra-maneuverable catheter that allows navigation far into the peripheral lung, and unprecedented stability enables the precision needed for biopsy compared to manual techniques.
During bronchoscopy with Ion, a certified physician uses the controller to navigate to the target along a digitally planned path. The catheter can articulate 180 degrees in any direction to pass through small, difficult-to-navigate airways and around tight bends to reach all 18 segments of the lung.
Ion is built on more than two decades of success in robotic-assisted technology by Intuitive, the maker of the da Vinci robotic surgical system.
Patients benefit from diagnosis and treatment in the same day rather than having biopsies first and scheduling surgery for a later date.
