Invenio NIO Laser Imaging System | Increasing Efficiency and Accuracy of GI Biopsy Procedures 

CLINICIAN LEAD
Phuong Nguyen, MD, Medical Director, Advanced Endoscopy Center 

INVESTMENT DATE
Fall 2022

INVESTMENT AMOUNT
$250,000

THE CHALLENGE 

Hoag performs over 4,000 tissue biopsies per year for diagnostic and treatment planning. With the traditional method, frozen tissue samples take 30-45 minutes to transport to the lab and process, and this procedure may need to be repeated multiple times before the sample contains diagnostic cells. Further, the frozen tissue samples can contain artifacts, which decreases the accuracy of the sample. 

THE INNOVATION

The NIO Laser Imaging System creates high-digital microscopic images of unprocessed tissue in under three minutes with a considerable degree of accuracy. Support from Hoag Innovators in 2019 enabled Hoag to be an early adopter of the NIO Laser Imaging System for neurosurgery. Use of the NIO Laser Imaging System is a novel approach for GI biopsies that leads to overall faster GI procedures by expediting diagnosis and decreasing anesthesia time for the patient. The increased accuracy spares healthy tissue, improves efficiency, and decreases procedure costs. For a procedure that would take 160 minutes through surgery, NIO can be completed in eight minutes. 

THE RESULTS

More than 83 GI cases have been completed with NIO in Hoag’s GI Lab to date, including 68 pancreas cases, two liver cases, and 13 multi-organ cases.

Hoag has expanded NIO into interventional pulmonology with more than 138 lung cases completed to date.
Hoag was the first site in the nation to scan a highly aggressive fungal with NIO which provided quick information to the interventional pulmonology team for proper treatment. A case report was submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

The system has revolutionized intraoperative diagnosis of pancreatic cancer at Hoag using laser imaging and AI. Hoag was the first in the world to present the use of NIO for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biopsy of pancreatic masses at the Digestive Disease Week exhibit in Chicago, IL. The pilot study completed at Hoag is being submitted for publication.

Hoag is participating in a large multi-center trial for AI validation with the NIO in pulmonology.
Grant submissions for a large multi-center study that will include Hoag for AI validation with the NIO in pancreas have been submitted.

"The Innovators have helped us improve patient care at Hoag through cutting-edge technology, NIO Laser Imaging System. With NIO, patients can leave the hospital with a preliminary, expedited diagnosis and do not have to return for a second biopsy, which reduces risks associated with anesthesia. The technology ensures our doctors have the immediately available information needed to deliver the best possible care.”  - Dr. Phuong Nguyen 

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