The technology, the Ion rendoluminal system, uses robotic bronchoscopy and CT screening and eliminates the need for traditional biopsy to determine if masses or nodules are malignant, according to a July 18 system news release.
“The intuitive Ion robotic bronchoscope is the most significant technological advance I have found during my career for identifying lung cancer at its earliest stage,” Keith Kelly, MD, pulmonologist with Baptist Health Medical Group Pulmonary & Critical Care, said in the release.
He said the technology will “prompt earlier definitive and curative treatment for lung cancer.”
The procedure, which takes up to two hours, uses a thin, flexible catheter with a camera. Robotic bronchoscopy is performed through the mouth or nose and can reach suspicious nodules or masses anywhere in the lungs, where it uses a needle to collect the tissue for biopsy.
Leave a Reply