Updates in Advanced Diagnostic Bronchoscopy: Electromagnetic Navigational Bronchoscopy Chasing the Solitary Pulmonary Nodule

Evaluation of the solitary pulmonary nodule has been limited with standard bronchoscopic approaches. The addition of advanced imaging, endobronchial ultrasound and virtual bronchoscopy has improved the bronchoscopic assessment of these lesions. Electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy is one of the newer devices that creates a 3-dimensional reconstruction of the patient’s anatomy based on a computed tomography scan of the chest, which with electromagnetic technology can combine the virtual image with the patient’s actual anatomy at the time of the procedure and thus guide tissue collection from the pulmonary nodule. This review focuses on the utility of electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy in the evaluation of the pulmonary nodule, examines all available literature, and discusses the various types and differences between the navigational systems.
Source: Clinical Pulmonary Medicine - Category: Respiratory Medicine Tags: Topics in Pulmonary Medicine Source Type: research