superDimension™ Navigation System

Effective & Accurate Lung Biopsies in Baxter County

Doctors take tissue samples, also known as a biopsy, to accurately diagnose the patient’s medical condition. It is important to discover complications and indicators on your lungs early on, before they have the chance to spread and proliferate. Extensive research shows that the majority of small spots discovered on patients’ lungs end up not being cancerous and instead could be an infection or leftover scar tissue from an earlier infection.

How Our Doctors Conduct Biopsies

Traditionally, medical professionals utilize a procedure known as a bronchoscopy where a thick and flexible tube referred to as a bronchoscope is inserted into the main air passages to examine and take a small tissue sample to later analyze. However, traditional bronchoscopies limit the doctors in that they are only able to view and reach areas near the main airways.

Fortunately, our doctors are able to utilize Medtronic's superDimension™ Navigation System, also called superD, to perform Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy™ (ENB™) procedures. These procedures allow us to gain access to the far reaches of our patients’ lungs, providing us with more accurate diagnostic information and a clearer insight into their medical condition. This highly advanced system greatly assists us in determining early diagnoses and creating more effective treatment plans.

Safe & More Accurate Than Traditional Methods

Traditional bronchoscopies generally limit doctors’ access to only the center areas of the lung. BRMC’s usage of the superDimension™ Navigation System and its accompanying LungGPS™ technology allows our doctors to observe the outer areas of the lung as well, giving us more accurate information than we might have had otherwise. This procedure is widely considered to be a safe and effective way for diagnosing early stages of cancer. Over 50,000 patients have successfully undergone an ENB™ procedure at one of the most prominent global medical centers using the superD. This procedure may make the patient’s medical experience better by providing lower procedural problems than traditional diagnostic methods.

BRMC has been offering patients access to the superDimension™ Navigation System since September, 2014. One of our best cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons, Louis Elkins, M.D., is highly trained and qualified to use the superD system and conduct diagnostic procedures.

To learn more about the superD system and our cutting-edge diagnostic procedures, visit www.superdimension.com.