For examining lung tissue on tumors a flexible bronchoscope is usually used. However, many bronchoscopes cannot find or reach tumors in the corners of the lungs because the thinner bronchi there are not wide enough for the use of a regular scope.
More than two-thirds of the lung mass is located in the periphery. EMN bronchoscopy is a technology that combines electromagnetic navigation with real-time 3D CT images. This allows doctors to take biopsies and treat lung masses in deep areas of the lungs.
Before an EMN bronchoscopy, a CT scan is done to look for potential lung tumors. The CT scan is then loaded into a computer and used to create a virtual, three-dimensional ‘road map’ of the lung. A doctor then notes where the tumors found are located and plans a route through the lung to reach the tumors.
The patient is placed on a low-frequency electromagnetic bed. A bronchoscope with a guide tube is inserted into the patient’s bronchi through the trachea. The electromagnetic bed allows the doctor to track the probe in real time on the virtual map, thus guiding the scope deep into the lung. The doctor can direct the movements and direction of the probe, directing the device to the thinnest bronchiole. When the tumor is reached, the probe is removed and a surgical instrument is inserted through the tube to take a biopsy.
EMN bronchoscopy can also be used in conjunction with external radiation therapy, such as tomotherapy, to target peripheral tumors with a targeted form of radiation, in which the tumor receives a high dose of radiation and minimal radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.
