Defining a Technique for the Use of Cryogenic Catheters for Biopsy and Ablation for the Diagnostic and Treatment of Pulmonary Lesions: An Ex-Vivo Human Lung Model Study.

Surgical lung biopsy (SLB) and surgical resection are the current gold standard for both tissue sampling and ablation of pulmonary lesions. Albeit the use of minimally invasive surgical techniques (VATS), these interventions are frequently associated with complications which include: prolonged air leak, pneumonia, prolonged length of stay in the intensive care unit as well as an increased mortality rate which is influenced by the nature (elective vs non-elective) of the case. To reduce trauma to patients, transbronchial interventions are becoming increasingly popular. However, current techniques have only been demonstrated in humans for lung biopsy and often provide lesser quality specimens than SLB. Promising results have been achieved using cryotechnology but a standardized technique has yet to be established. To demonstrate the potential for transbronchial interventions using cryo, we aim to develop a standardized technique for transbronchial cryobiopsy and cryoablation of pulmonary lesions using a human ex-vivo model.