Dr. Jesse Onyenekwe, a pulmonologist at HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress, performed the first robotically assisted lung biopsy procedure in the northwest Houston region May 11, according to a May 27 news release.

The equipment used offers more precision and enables doctors to more easily diagnose lung cancer in its early stages, officials said. This is made possible by the robot’s thin catheter with the ability to move 180 degrees in all directions; paired with it is a flexible biopsy needle that is used to collect tissue samples from the peripheral lung, according to the release.

“Early diagnosis is critical in the treatment and survival of lung cancer. We are excited to provide our patients advanced technology that can enhance the level of care they receive,” HCA North Cypress CEO Jim Brown said in a statement.

The robot can also access difficult portions of the lung through natural openings such as the mouth, officials said. To ease the navigation of the catheter and ensure a safe procedure, a CT scan is performed and used to create a three-dimensional pathway that is virtually displayed next to a live feed of camera footage from inside the lung. The virtual imagery provides a reference point for doctors as they navigate each patient’s lung.

Prior to this procedure, live CT scan images were displayed as doctors inserted a needle through the chest wall and lung from the outside of the body. This older procedure posed a risk of damaging lung tissue or causing lung collapse for patients with advanced lung disease with emphysema, according to the release.