Wellstar Community Outreach

Innovative technology at Wellstar is offering patients a minimally invasive option for lung biopsies, reducing complications and helping expedite lung cancer treatment.

The Ion system is a robotic-assisted platform for performing lung biopsies. If a lung cancer screening or any other CT scan shows a suspicious nodule, providers will need to perform a biopsy to determine if the patient has lung cancer and how to proceed with care.

“Those nodules may not be cancer, but in certain situations we still need to know what it is,” said Wellstar Pulmonologist Dr. Timothy Udoji. “The Ion technology helps us biopsy those nodules to get an answer so that additional workup can be done immediately. If it is cancer, we want to catch it at an early stage.”

The system uses a three-dimensional spatial recognition technology that helps guide a catheter down the airway, deep into the lung, all the way to small nodules where biopsies can be performed. The robotic catheter maintains its shape and stability throughout the biopsy process significantly improving diagnostic yield compared to other modalities.

“The better the image and the more certainty we have of the spatial location of the catheter, the better we can avoid complications by making sure we are not too close to a blood vessel or the edge of the lung,” said Wellstar Thoracic Surgeon Dr. Daniel Fortes.

During the biopsy, providers can also use the Ion system to mark an area in the lung, making it easier to find later during surgery.

“If something is very small and hard to find in surgery, Ion can be used to mark that area with dye, or contrast, that allows us to find it in surgery,” Dr. Fortes said. “With this technology added to the surgical robotic system in the operating room, we can better identify those lesions and remove smaller portions of lung, also called segments.”

Technology to help provide peace of mind

The Ion system also has further reach than previous technologies and is able to more easily biopsy nodules in the peripheral areas of the lung. For many cancer patients, this will allow them to initiate care earlier and improve their outcomes, as well as give them peace of mind during the treatment process.

“Mental health impacts physical health. We are able to confidently biopsy and identify these nodules and that means a lot for our patients,” Dr. Udoji said. “Now, with this new technology we are able to get a biopsy done much earlier which has huge outcome implications for malignant nodules.”

At Wellstar, cancer care is tailored for each patient. In the Wellstar STAT Clinic for Lung Cancer, patients meet with multiple specialists at once to discuss their care options and create a personalized treatment plan. Specialists in the STAT Clinics, which are located at Wellstar Cobb, Douglas, Kennestone Regional, North Fulton and Paulding medical centers, and soon to be Cherokee Health Park, work with patients to determine the optimal course of treatment and will talk with patients and families about biopsy options, including the Ion system. The STAT Clinics give patients the opportunity to have their diagnoses managed right away, and literature shows that the clinics’ diagnostic and treatment model improves outcomes for patients.

The Ion system is in use at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, where the team has completed more than 500 procedures. This system is also now available at Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center and Wellstar Douglas Medical Center. Learn more about lung cancer care at wellstar.org/lungcancer and ask your primary care provider or pulmonologist if you have questions or are seeking care for lung health. Learn more about pulmonary care at wellstar.org/pulmonary.

Neurosurgeons at Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center achieved a new surgical approach to treat an aneurysm behind the eye. It’s called endoscopic endonasal clipping of a superior ophthalmic aneurysm. The procedure for an aneurysm in this location is believed to be the first of its kind performed through the nose. This innovative technique offers a promising alternative for patients with complex aneurysms, particularly younger individuals.

Dr. M. Salman Ali, director of Skull Base, Pituitary and Surgical Neuro-oncology and assistant professor of Neurosurgery at Augusta University, led the team in this pioneering procedure performed at Wellstar MCG Health. An aneurysm, as Dr. Ali explains, is a “weak spot in a blood vessel in the brain,” prone to rupture, which can be life-threatening. Located near the eye, the superior ophthalmic aneurysm is a rare and challenging condition.





Image provided by Augusta University Medical College of Georgia Department of Neurosurgery.

“MCG Neurosurgery has been here for many years and we have a long tradition of teaching and research,” said Dr. Fernando L. Vale, neurosurgeon and Department of Neurosurgery chair at Augusta University. “We bring teams together, use advanced technology and pay close attention to the complex details for the better outcome of our patients. Working as a team can create better science.”

The best thing for the patient

Traditionally, superior ophthalmic aneurysms were treated with open brain surgery and significant brain tissue manipulation. While endovascular techniques with the use of stents—tubes that support weak artery walls—are now more common, they carry a recurrence risk and require lifelong medication.

This was a concern for Dr. Ali, whose patient was only 36 years old. Thus, he and his team proposed clipping the aneurysm through the nasal cavity instead. This minimally invasive technique offered a treatment with no incisions or brain tissue manipulation, a significantly lower recurrence rate and no need for long-term medication.

"I thought it was the best thing for the patient," Dr. Ali emphasized, explaining his decision to pursue this approach.

The procedure required a multidisciplinary team including ENT surgeons, interventional vascular surgeons, neuro-anesthesiologists and neuromonitoring specialists—and a carefully executed surgical plan.

“This could not have been possible without this wonderful team,” Dr. Ali said. 

The patient, who found out about her aneurysm from routine imaging after a car accident, was discharged only two days after the surgery and is recovering well. Dr. Ali stressed the importance of offering patients options and empowering them to make informed decisions.

"This prioritizes the patient and surgical excellence,” he continued.

Dr. Ali hopes this procedure will become a treatment option for people with hard-to-reach aneurysms in the future, offering them a better quality of life.

Academic hospital paves way for doctors of the future

This achievement not only benefits patients but also serves as a valuable learning experience for medical residents and fellows who were in the operating room that day. 

“Seeing is believing,” Dr. Ali said, highlighting the importance of academic medicine in advancing surgical techniques. “When students see someone else do it, why can’t they do it? It’s our duty to be better than the surgeons before us. The students now have more technology and better anatomical understanding—their outcomes will be even better than ours.”

Learn more about neurosurgery at Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center.