PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — UCHealth Parkview has announced that it's expanding access to advanced lung diagnostics in southern Colorado with the Ion robotic bronchoscopy system, a technology that allows doctors to biopsy small, hard-to-reach lung nodules with more precision.
They say it's minimally invasive.
UCHealth says that the ion robotic-assisted platform blends a traditional bronchoscopy and robotic navigation with a 3D image of a patient's lungs. Then, using a CT scan to map a 3D airway, physicians guide a thin robotic catheter into the lungs to biopsy suspicious nodules, or small masses of dense tissue that appear as white spots in imaging tests.
“Robotic bronchoscopy allows us to reach very small nodules that were previously difficult or sometimes impossible to access."
“By combining detailed CT imaging with robotic precision, we can guide the bronchoscope directly to the area of concern and obtain tissue samples with a much higher level of accuracy.”
The Ion system uses advanced shape-sensing technology that reduces "divergence," or when the airway map from a CT scan doesn't perfectly match the patient's anatomy.
UCHealth says that this is a challenge in traditional bronchoscopies.
Traditional bronchoscopies diagnose lung nodules about 75-80% of the time, while the Ion system increases that accuracy to roughly 90-95%.
They say that early detection is critical in improving lung cancer outcomes, since it often doesn't cause symptoms until the cancer has advanced.
“When lung cancer is detected at stage one or stage two, we can start talking about cure rather than simply treatment."
“Technology like this helps us identify and biopsy smaller nodules earlier, which can make a meaningful difference for patients.”
Not only does this technology help with diagnosis, but expanding it to Pueblo allows people in southern Colorado to have access to advanced lung diagnostics while staying relatively close to home.
UCHealth Parkview says the system can treat approximately 10 patients a week.
If biopsies confirm cancer, they can refer patients to specialists. If a nodule isn't cancerous, patients can follow up with pulmonary specialists to monitor conditions.
With this technology, patients with suspicious lung nodules can receive their diagnoses more quickly, resulting in faster treatment and a clearer view of what comes next.
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