Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGV3YEWscsY/Using a surgical robot to precisely manipulate a fiberoptic bronchoscope was first reported in 2018 by Washington University-St. Louis pulmonologist Alexander Chen MD.  The technique permitted examination and biopsy of smaller, more peripheral cancers leading to earlier initiation of therapy.Just published in the journal CHEST is the first large prospective multi-center study of the technique to access its diagnostic utility and safety.  Including 715 patients at 21 sites in the US and Hong Kong 88% of whom had lesions in difficult to access outer two-thirds of the lungs, the investigators found a successful lesion localization in up to 94%.  The procedure was complication-free in over 96% of cases.This technique is now being used by more clinicians in more centers.  A second generation robotic bronchoscope is now available.  Robotic bronchoscopy availability is however limited due to the high cost of the equipment.Murgu SD, et al. A prospective, multicente