A new age of lung cancer diagnosis

Peripheral lung biopsy can now be performed with robotic-assisted technology, utilizing the Intuitive Ion endoluminal system. This major medical advancement offers doctors unprecedented stability and precision, addressing a challenging aspect of lung biopsy by enabling physicians to obtain tissue samples from deep within the lung, thus detecting earlier stages of lung cancer.

Approximately 75% of lung cancers are diagnosed in an advanced stage. And around 70% of cancerous lung nodules are found in the outer third of the lung, an area that is challenging to reach and diagnose.

Meet Our Team of Pulmonologists

Dr. Clifford Courville, MD

• A member of the American College of Chest Physicians and the American Thoracic Society
• Diagnoses and treats a variety of diseases and conditions of the chest including COPD, pneumonia, asthma, emphysema and other pulmonary and respiratory conditions.

Dr. Gary Kohler, MD

• Fellowship-trained and board-certified in pulmonary care and critical care by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
• Provides comprehensive care and treatment for a variety of chest conditions including COPD, emphysema, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia and chronic diseases of the lung.

Dr. Fidencio Davalos, MD

• Board-certified in critical care medicine and board-eligible in pulmonary medicine.
• His specialties are:
  • COPD
  • Pneumonia
  • Asthma
  • Emphysema
  • Other pulmonary and respiratory conditions
  • Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy (ENB)
  • Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS).

Enhancing - not replacing - your surgeon's capabilities

During bronchoscopy with the Ion, the ultra-thin, easily maneuverable catheter can move 180 degrees in all directions, making a biopsy of a mass easier. The equipment allows doctors to navigate along a planned path through small and tortuous airways to reach nodules in any airway segment within the lung. The robot’s flexible biopsy needle can also pass through very tight bends via the catheter to collect tissue, enabling a more precise biopsy and easier experience for patients.

Typically if a physician finds a suspicious spot on the lung, commonly called a small mass or nodule, he or she may recommend that it be checked out further. This test is called a lung biopsy.

Biopsy involves obtaining a tissue sample from the suspicious area and examining the cells under a microscope to determine if cancer or another disease is present. There are a number of ways to obtain tissue for biopsy. The biopsy approach your doctor will recommend depends on the size of the nodule, the location within the lung and your overall health. Fewer than 5% of nodules are actually cancer, but your doctor may recommend this to make sure.

Ion is built on more than two decades of leadership in robotic-assisted technology by Intuitive, the maker of the da Vinci surgical system. The Ion endoluminal system allows for more precision, more reach, more stability— and more answers.

For more information about robotic-assisted lung biopsy, call (337) 494-2750.