Sight Unseen: Diagnostic Yield and Safety Outcomes of a Novel Multimodality Navigation Bronchoscopy Platform with Real-Time Target Acquisition

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Several advanced bronchoscopy platforms are currently available, but the clinical data supporting their use vary. Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) remains the dominant technology; it is limited by its reliance on preoperative computed tomography, which only approximates patient anatomy during the procedure. Recently, ENB was enhanced with the (1) addition of digital tomosynthesis-based navigation correction, (2) improvements in planning algorithms, and (3) continuous real-time guidance (Illumisite™; Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA). There are currently no clinical data on the diagnostic yield and safety profile of this system. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> The primary objective of this study is to describe the diagnostic yield of the first 100 pulmonary parenchymal lesions sampled using the multimodality navigation bronchoscopy (MNB) platform. The secondary objective is to describe safety. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> In this single-center prospective observational study, a database was maintained to track patient, procedural, and outcome data for the first 100 consecutive lesions sampled using the MNB platform at an academic quaternary referral center. Descriptive statistics and univariate and multivariate analyses are reported. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The overall diagnostic yield of samples acquired was 79% (79/100). In the cohort where digital tomosynthesis was used, the diagnostic yield was 83% (69/83). Sensitivity for malignancy was 71% (52/73). Overall complication rates were low: pneumothorax (<i>n</i> = 3, 3%) and bleeding requiring intervention (<i>n</i> = 2, 2%). There were no procedural-related hospital admissions. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> The MNB system performed favorably. Platform superiority cannot be established without future prospective and comparative studies.