Press release

Siemens Healthineers presents 3D imaging integrated with endoluminal robotics for precise transbronchial lung biopsy

The integration of the capabilities of Siemens Healthineers mobile 3D imaging system Cios Spin with Intuitive’s Ion Endoluminal System for transbronchial biopsy enables automated 3D image transfer to update the target location of the lesion.

Published on July 14, 2022
  • Lung cancer screening increases demand to investigate lung nodules
  • 3D imaging is essential for precise lesion targeting1,2
  • Integration of Siemens Healthineers mobile 3D imaging system Cios Spin with Intuitive’s Ion Endoluminal System aiming for high diagnostic yield

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Screening programs can help to detect undetermined lesions at an earlier stage where most of these are small and difficult to access. Precise navigation during biopsy is required to reduce the number of false-negative tissue samples collected and can speed up the diagnosis and thus treatment of patients. This is particularly important in lung cancer patients since their prognosis declines dramatically as they move through the stages of the disease3. The integration of the capabilities of Siemens Healthineers’ mobile 3D imaging system Cios Spin with Intuitive’s Ion Endoluminal System for transbronchial biopsy enables automated 3D image transfer to update the target location of the lesion.

“Lung cancer screening is only one step towards making cancer a chronic disease rather than a deadly disease”, said Peter Seitz, Executive Vice President Surgery at Siemens Healthineers. “We want to provide solutions along the complete patient pathway. Cios Spin and Intuitive Ion contribute another element for lung cancer patient care by supporting lesion targeting with intra-procedural image guidance. With reliable tumor staging, treatment will not be delayed.”

During biopsy of suspicious lung nodules, small lesions need to be sampled from a flexible and moving organ – the lung. To avoid repeated invasive exams for the patient, precise navigation is critical.

Currently, only small accessible peripheral lesions are evaluated with CT-guided percutaneous needle biopsy. While this allows for excellent diagnostic yield rates, not all lesions are accesible via this modality and pneumothorax is a common complication. Robotic-assisted shape sensing bronchscopic biopsy is designed to reach all lesions in the lung with low complication rates. The integration of mobile 3D imaging with robotic-assisted bronchoscopic biopsy can support the pulmonologist to reach and biopsy the lesion4,5.

Targeting small pulmonary lesions is difficult because of the deviation of the lesion location from preprocedural planning (CT-to-body divergence) and because of the lack of real-time visualization in the moment of tissue sampling. Offering Cone-Beam CT (CBCT) and the dedicated NaviLink 3D interface, Cios Spin communicates with Ion via automated 3D image transfer. This eliminates the need for manual data exchange and can speed up workflows. With the help of intraprocedural imaging, it is possible for the pulmonologist to re-target the lesion instantly. This integration could also lead to reduced procedure time and decreased number of scans, potentially leading to less radiation.

Early case series show a potential benefit of combining imaging and robotics, with 3 out of 10 tool-lesion relationships improved during subsequent tool redeployment4. Furthermore, they showed the potential to achieve reliable diagnostic yield to overcome nodule motion and divergence in most patients5.

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Siemens Healthineers 2022

Siemens Healthineers AG (listed in Frankfurt, Germany: SHL) pioneers breakthroughs in healthcare. For everyone. Everywhere. As a leading medical technology company headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, Siemens Healthineers and its regional companies is continuously developing its product and service portfolio, with AI-supported applications and digital offerings that play an increasingly important role in the next generation of medical technology. These new applications will enhance the company’s foundation in in-vitro diagnostics, image-guided therapy, in-vivo diagnostics, and innovative cancer care. Siemens Healthineers also provides a range of services and solutions to enhance healthcare providers’ ability to provide high-quality, efficient care. In fiscal 2021, which ended on September 30, 2021, Siemens Healthineers, which has approximately 66,000 employees worldwide, generated revenue of €18.0 billion and adjusted EBIT of €3.1 billion. Further information is available at www.siemens-healthineers.com.