Mechanical catheter navigation with electromagnetic tracking to peripheral airway targets

Abstract

Lung cancer remains the single most deadly cancer in men and women due to low rates of early detection and treatment. Since non-small cell lung cancer usually starts in the outer airways, targeted minimally invasive biopsy which limits radiation exposure and avoids surgery is highly desirable. Current commercial solutions such as the superDimension (Medtronic Inc., Dublin, Ireland), and SpIN (Veran Medical, St. Louis, USA) systems rely on electromagnetic tracking for virtual navigation. However, clinical outcomes have been unconvincing due to poor accuracy, limitations in instrumentation and the lack of tracked catheters. This work proposes a novel mechanical catheter design with embedded electromagnetic tracking to facilitate tip-tracked navigation without the need for proprietary instruments or probe exchange. The catheter was used to reach peripheral airway targets by multiple users in pre-clinical studies.