Memorial Offers Robotic Lung Biopsies

A high-tech, minimally invasive procedure for diagnosing lung cancer is now available at Springfield Memorial Hospital through a partnership with SIU Medicine.

Robotic bronchoscopy allows physicians to biopsy areas deep within the lungs that traditional screening methods may not be able to reach. During the procedure, a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is guided precisely into the lungs to collect small tissue samples.

The technology gives physicians additional diagnostic options while helping reduce discomfort for patients.

“This safer, minimally invasive technology allows me to reach small or hard-to-access nodules with greater precision,” said Dr. Taylor Stone, a critical and pulmonology physician with SIU Medicine. “The result is more timely care, better treatment options and improved outcomes for patients close to home.”

The procedure is intended for patients who have, or are suspected of having, lung nodules that require a biopsy. Patients can be referred by their primary care physicians or pulmonologists.

The procedure is part of Memorial Health’s ongoing effort to expand access to pulmonology specialists and lung screening technology in Springfield.

Those efforts also include increasing awareness of the importance of screening among people at greater risk of lung disease, including current and former smokers and individuals exposed to cancer-causing substances through careers in agriculture, manufacturing or the military.

Memorial Lung Care has also expanded appointment availability. Emily Fendrich, an advanced practice provider with SIU Medicine, recently joined the team and is now seeing patients.

“It’s exciting to partner with SIU to offer this procedure to local patients,” said Kimberly Paskiewicz, vice president, clinical enterprise medical affairs at Memorial Health. “Over the past few years, the team at SMH has performed biopsies via robotic bronchoscopy on more than 400 patients – giving them and their physicians the information they need to make informed decisions about treatment and diagnosis.”

“This technology gives us the opportunity to diagnose lung cancers at an earlier stage with fewer complications,” said Dr. Traves Crabtree, a cardiothoracic surgeon with SIU Medicine. “We can therefore treat cancers earlier, which improves long-term survival.”