Baptist-desoto scopes out lung cancer
Hospital invests in new technology
Four years ago, if a patient at Baptist Memorial Hosptial-DeSoto had a spot on the lungs, he would have to have a biopsy and spend a few days in the hospital waiting to see if the lesion was cancerous.
Since then, the Southaven facility has invested in new technology that gives doctors a more precise way of diagnosing lung cancer.
It’s called superDimension i-Logic lung navigation system. It is often referred to as a “GPS” for surgical lung treatment because it allows doctors using a three-dimensional electromagnetic map of the lungs to perform biopsies by guiding catheters deeper into the lungs without putting the patient through surgery.
“This technology is phenomenal,” said Dr. Mike Smith of Memphis Lung Physicians Foundation, a medical group that has partnered with BaptistDeSoto.
Using the superDimension system, Smith uses a bronchoscope, which looks like a video game joystick, to guide the catheter to once-hard-to-reach places in the lungs. If a patient is diagnosed with cancer, the technology also allows markers to be placed around the lesion so doctors can target the cancerous tissue.
“This new technology gives us an edge to diagnose cancer in the earlier stage or tell a patient that the lesion is benign,” Smith said.
Smith has performed the outpatient procedure on several patients since the hospital bought the system in 2009, but many in the community still do not know that the hospital has this technology, said hospital spokeswoman Claire Hick.
“People sometimes think that when they have to have a certain treatment that they need to go somewhere else,” Hick said, “but our hospital in Southaven offers treatments that are the latest technology in the United States, and we have made the investment to have them here.”