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About this ‘Ask the Specialist’ Q&A:
Navigational Bronchoscopy for Lung Nodules
A lung nodule is a small spot found in the lung, usually seen on a chest X-ray or CT scan.
Many lung nodules are not cancerous and can be caused by previous infections, inflammation or scarring. However, some nodules can represent an early lung cancer.
Not every lung nodule needs a biopsy — your doctor will consider factors such as its size, appearance and whether it has grown over time, together with your age, smoking history and other risk factors, before deciding whether further tests are needed. When there is concern about a nodule, obtaining a small tissue sample, or biopsy, can help determine what it is and guide the most appropriate treatment.
Some lung nodules, particularly small ones located deep in the outer parts of the lungs, can be difficult to reach with a conventional bronchoscope. Electromagnetic navigational bronchoscopy is a minimally invasive technique that uses information from a patient’s CT scan to create a three-dimensional map of the airways.
Similar to a GPS system, electromagnetic navigation helps the interventional pulmonologist guide a thin bronchoscope and biopsy instruments towards the nodule, allowing tissue samples to be collected.
Navigational bronchoscopy can therefore provide another option for investigating lung nodules that may otherwise be difficult to reach. If you or a loved one has been found to have a lung nodule, what does it mean, when should it be biopsied, and could navigational bronchoscopy be suitable?
In this “Ask the Specialist” Q&A, Clin Asst Prof Carrie Leong, Senior Consultant from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Singapore General Hospital (SGH), answers your questions about lung nodules, lung biopsy and navigational bronchoscopy.
About Clin Asst Prof Carrie Leong
Dr Carrie Kah-Lai Leong is a senior consultant respiratory physician, interventional pulmonologist and intensivist.
She completed her Interventional Pulmonology Fellowship at Duke University Medical Center, USA. She is clinical assistant professor at SingHealth Duke-NUS Lung Center, Singapore, and a Task Force member of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR).
She has been invited to speak at international and local conferences and workshops, and is a member of international and local guideline panels.
