Body Vision Medical and Serpex Medical jointly announced the first lung nodule biopsy procedure using Serpex’s Compass steerable needle guided by Body Vision Medical’s LungVision real-time, intraoperative CT imaging system performed by Dr Michael Machuzak at Cleveland Clinic. Using the combination of the two technologies, Machuzak was able to access and successfully diagnose a small peripheral nodule in the right lower lobe of the patient’s lung.
Body Vision Medical’s LungVision System uses artificial intelligence (AI) to transform X-ray images from any C-arm into real-time, intraoperative CT scans. This provides bronchoscopists image guidance to precisely navigate to and biopsy from lung lesions at an earlier stage, thus maximizing the likelihood of an early diagnosis for potential lung cancer patients and improving odds for survival.
Serpex Medical’s suite of steerable endobronchial instruments offer articulation at the distal tip to enable active steering of the instrument. A steerable biopsy needle capable of flexion, extension, and rotation at the distal tip allows for direct access to target tissues adjacent to the airway for greater precision and control when targeting peripheral lung nodules.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, making up 25% of all cancer deaths annually. Despite a myriad of new medical technologies entering the market, the 5-year survival has remained the same at around 20% in the United States and 10% worldwide. A key factor in improving survival is earlier diagnosis.
