NGMC Gainesville successfully completed its first Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy on a patient with lung cancer.
The procedure was performed by April McDonald, MD, who is a pulmonologist with Northeast Georgia Physicians Group.
In a press release from NGMC Gainesville, they said the new technology provides doctors with the tools to diagnose lung cancer sooner and more accurately so patients can receive life-saving treatment.
The new technology can sense the shapes of the airways and assists specialists to use natural openings in the body which provides a new approach to lung cancer biopsy, diagnosis and staging.
"This represents a step forward in diagnosing and treating lung cancer with precision and accuracy," said Dr. McDonald. "By utilizing the precision of robotics, we are now able to target and retrieve tissue samples from deep within the lungs, even in hard-to-reach areas. We don’t have to risk complications such as collapsed lung or pneumothorax – both of which can occur with more invasive approaches, and we have the potential to diagnose and treat earlier so patients have a better chance at beating lung cancer."
To learn more about this treatment and cancer services at NGMC, you can visit their website.
