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Media Contact:
Tim Ahlers, Director of Marketing and Community Relations
319-688-7340 or e-mail: tim.ahlers@mercyic.org
NEW PROCEDURE AT MERCY IOWA CITY
HONES ACCURACY OF LUNG CANCER BIOPSIES
February 26, 2007/Iowa City, IA: A new technique in use at Mercy Iowa City makes it possible to do biopsies of suspected lung cancer lesions that are more targeted and precise than ever.
The technique is called endobronchial ultrasound. Mercy Iowa City is the first hospital in Iowa making it available.
In some patients, cancerous lesions may be located outside the bronchial tube, and conventional bronchoscopy techniques do not reveal their locations. “In those cases, we have had to guess where to take biopsies of these lesions,” said Dr. Alan Moy, pulmonologist and member of the Mercy medical staff. “This new equipment and technique increases our ability to diagnose the patient’s condition. It also helps physicians and patients evaluate all their options."
Dr. Moy says endobronchial ultrasound will typically be used in more complex cases, or about 30 percent of all suspected lung cancers. He adds that endobronchial ultrasound allows physicians to more accurately stage lung cancer (that is, identify the stage of its growth and spread) and may decrease the need for other surgical procedures. For instance, in the latter case, a patient with a benign lesion could avoid major surgery to remove the lesion in order to make the diagnosis. This is especially important for patients who have increased risk for surgery, such as heart disease.
Mercy’s first endobronchial ultrasound was performed on February 13, 2007. The procedure is done in Mercy’s Endoscopy Unit.
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