First Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy™ Procedure In El Paso Performed at Del Sol Medical Center

EL PASO, TX—Del Sol Medical Center recently became the first, and currently only, hospital in El Paso to acquire a superDimension™ navigation system with LungGPS™ technology. On Dec. 4, 2015, at Del Sol Medical Center, Hector Payan, M.D., a private pulmonologist, performed El Paso’s first Electromagnetic Navigation Bronchoscopy™ procedure, also known as an ENB™ procedure using this technology.

The minimally invasive ENB™ procedure aids with earlier diagnosis for patients with lung lesions, so those with cancer can get treated as soon as possible and patients with benign conditions can potentially avoid surgery.

According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer accounts for more deaths than any other cancer in men and women. With early detection, 85 percent of cancers can be found in the earliest, more curable stage.

“I am pleased to be a part of a program that offers earlier lung cancer detection, and we are grateful to Del Sol for bringing this technology to our community,” Dr. Payan said. “The superDimension navigation system features top-of-the-line GPS-like technology that allows us to access and sample smaller lesions in the lung without surgery or a needle biopsy. We will use this technology to diagnose patients earlier without putting them through more invasive procedures that carry greater risk.”

Even with today’s advances, many physicians still rely on traditional methods that can be limiting or assume greater risk to the patient. Traditional bronchoscopy is only effective in the upper portion of the lungs, while needle biopsies can cause a collapsed lung. Some patients even have to undergo traditional open surgery—which requires a large incision, broken ribs and a longer recovery time—just to find out if the lesion is cancerous or not.

With the superDimension™ system, CT scan images are used to create a roadmap of the thousands of tiny pathways inside the lungs. The LungGPS™ technology then provides a roadmap that allows physicians to guide tiny tools through the lung pathways so they can take tissue samples of the lesion and place markers for future treatment.

For more information on the superDimension™ navigation system and ENB™ procedures at Del Sol Medical Center, call (915) 595-9534.