Dr. Cianna Pender
General Surgeon
John D. Archbold Memorial Medical Center
Thomasville, GA
Patient Information: 69 y/o, M
Scan Protocol: Veran Inspiration/Expiration CT Scan Protocol
Nodule: 6mm
Biopsy Result: Benign
Instruments Used: Always-On Tip Tracked® Forceps & SPiN Perc® 1cm Localization Needle
Conclusion: Fibrous Scar
“The Veran localization technology enabled me to easily identify this small nodule. When the patient woke up post procedure, I told him that he was the recipient of game-changing technology.”
Patient History
This patient has a long history of smoking and presented with a suspicious nodule in the left upper lobe. Given the patient’s extensive history of tobacco use, Dr. Pender determined the risk of malignancy justified a surgical diagnostic procedure.
Planning
The patient was scanned in the supine position using Veran’s CT scan protocol. Upon reviewing the CT scan, thoracic surgeon, Dr. Pender, identified and segmented the 6mm nodule in the LUL using Veran SPiN Planning® software. There was roughly 65mm distance from the skin to center of the lesion. Dr. Pender planned a trajectory to reach the nodule percutaneously using the 1 cm SPiN Perc® Localization Needle.
Procedure
Dr. Pender first used the Always-On Tip Tracked® Forceps to perform endobronchial registration with the patient in the supine position. The procedure then transitioned to SPiN Perc® for percutaneous localization. Dr. Pender lined up her trajectory and advanced the needle into the nodule, using the Veran system screen to visualize the location of the dye ports at the distal end of the needle. She attached a syringe to the needle and injected 0.5cc of dye into the nodule. Upon the start of the robotics procedure, Dr. Pender identified the location of the nodule by the dye marking and resected a wedge around the marking. Pathology confirmed the presence of the small nodule in the wedge and a benign diagnosis of fibrous scar tissue. Due to the successful localization, Dr. Pender did not have to resect any more healthy lung tissue or perform a diagnostic lobectomy. The benign diagnosis allowed Dr. Pender to get an answer for this patient while preserving the most lung tissue possible.
