Complex pulmonary and thoracic procedures require precise intraoperative imaging systems. To diagnose and biopsy a suspected lesion or region of interest in the lungs, physicians need to visualize and confirm the precise location of nodules and tools, yet often the position of a nodule can differ from pre-operative CT images because of the differences in respiratory patterns, patient positioning, and other factors, resulting in CT to body divergence, at time of the procedure.

GE HealthCare’s OEC 3D intraoperative mobile CBCT continues to demonstrate imaging excellence and versatility for every day procedures ranging from neuro-spine and orthopedic trauma to interventional procedures, such as bronchoscopy.

Today’s announcement brings the following additions to the OEC 3D C-arm to help improve visualization of airways in the lungs during bronchoscopy procedures:

OEC 3D Lung Suite: The OEC 3D enables clinicians to visualize both 2D and 3D images of the lung using a single mobile C-arm. For advanced imaging during endoscopy procedures, the OEC 3D Lung Suite includes:

• Augmented Fluoroscopy overlay of 3D points of interest on live fluoroscopy images.
• Adjustable motorized 3D scan to accommodate patient or equipment positions during a spin.

OEC Open: During bronchoscopy procedures, clinicians may use navigation or robotic assistance, in addition to advanced imaging, to reach the region of interest during the interventional procedure. To help enable this workflow, OEC 3D C-arms provide an OEC Open interface for automatically transferring 3D volumetric data post reconstruction to verified navigation and robotic systems.

A recent addition to the OEC Open offering is a verified interface with the Intuitive Ion® Endoluminal Robotic Bronchoscopy System (OS 1 v5.1.0 and later). This interface enables users to automatically transfer OEC 3D mobile CBCT images upon reconstruction to the Ion System to then update target locations for clinician catheter adjustments during the procedure.

GE HealthCare continues to expand OEC Open interfaces for a variety of clinical procedures as an agnostic OEC Open ecosystem for OEC 3D users. Today, OEC Open is verified with eight, third-party systems spanning robotics, navigation, and augmented reality vision.

“With Intuitive’s Ion Robotic Bronchoscopy System now verified to interface with GE HealthCare’s OEC 3D through the OEC Open interface, I believe we can now reach and diagnose almost any nodule in the lung ,” shares Dr. Dominique Pepper, Medical Director of Bronchoscopy and Respiratory Care, Providence Swedish South Puget Sound.¹ “This is a game-changer for clinicians - this can help us confidently and accurately provide answers when we see a suspicious area of interest.”

“As we continue to build out our OEC ecosystem, GE HealthCare is excited about the addition of the Intuitive Ion robotic system to our OEC Open interface,” shares Christian O’Connor – Global General Manager for Surgery at GE HealthCare. “This interface provides interventional pulmonologists using the OEC 3D C-arm a seamless experience during minimally invasive, robotic-assisted bronchoscopy procedures. Furthermore, this collaboration also signifies our continued commitment to enabling surgeons access to the latest technologies to support them in providing exceptional patient care."

These latest additions build on the company’s continuous innovation of the OEC C-arm portfolio to support clinicians in their efforts to help improve the diagnosis, treatment, and overall outcomes of their patients.