From May 23rd to 24th, 2026, the 18th Ruijin Respiratory Disease Academic Conference, hosted by the Beijing Association for the Promotion of Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, was successfully held at the Sheraton Shanghai Pudong Hotel. This conference featured an "Artificial Intelligence Forum," focusing on the cutting-edge integration of artificial intelligence and respiratory interventional technology, and bringing together numerous renowned experts in the fields of respiratory and interventional medicine from both domestic and international backgrounds. As a key participating company, Puli Ark specially invited Professor Joseph Cicenia, MD, Director of the Bronchoscopy Center at the Cleveland Clinic, to deliver a keynote speech at the conference and showcase the innovative applications of the Puli Baichuan (Galaxy) bronchoscopy robot in the fields of artificial intelligence and robot assistance.

International Perspective: Artificial Intelligence and Robot-Assisted Bronchoscopy

On the morning of May 24, during the lower respiratory tract artificial intelligence session of the "Artificial Intelligence Forum," Professor Joseph Cicenia shared with the attendees the latest developments in the integration of artificial intelligence and robotic bronchoscopy technology, in a presentation titled "Artificial Intelligence and Robotic-Assisted Bronchoscopy."

Professor Cicenia systematically reviewed the long-standing technical bottlenecks of traditional navigation bronchoscopes in terms of positioning accuracy, image guidance capability, and tool stability. She pointed out that the lack of shape perception technology for real-time imaging still suffers from "CT-to-body divergence," making it difficult to solve the core problem of inaccurate positioning.

Galaxy System: Solving the Positioning Challenge with Real-Time Intraoperative Imaging

Addressing the long-standing clinical challenge of CT-to-body divergence, Professor Joseph Cicenia introduced the technological breakthroughs of the Galaxy bronchoscopy robot to the attendees. He pointed out that the core of the 3D Imaging (DT) technology in the Galaxy system lies in the deep fusion of Digital Tomosynthesis (DT) and Augmented Fluoroscopy (AF). This technology can update the lesion location in real time during surgery and achieve high-precision determination of whether the biopsy tool is located within the lesion—that is, Tool-in-Lesion (TIL) confirmation. This capability effectively eliminates the discrepancy between preoperative CT and the actual intraoperative anatomical structure, freeing surgeons from relying on "blind" punctures or experience-based judgment during the procedure.

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Professor Cicenia shared key clinical evidence: In the MATCH 2 study, the Galaxy system achieved a TIL confirmation rate of 93.5%[1], a consistency rate of 96.7% with CBCT[1], and a navigation and biopsy success rate of 100%[1]. Its enhanced fluoroscopy can overlay the lesion location in real time, and the distance quantification function can measure the distance between the tool and the lesion with high precision, assisting in high-precision positioning. He concluded that the key to accurate biopsy of lung nodules lies in the organic combination of endoscope stability, navigation success rate and real-time image guidance. The Galaxy system has achieved a technological leap from "navigation reachable" to "intraoperative real-time confirmation" through the deep integration of digital tomography, enhanced fluoroscopy and real-time navigation technology, providing a feasible solution for the high-precision diagnosis of small lung peripheral nodules.

Galaxy Bronchoscope Robot

Interactive booth interaction: Galaxy system attracts much attention

During the conference, Puli Ark set up a special booth, which was visited by many respiratory and interventional radiology experts and hospital administrators from major hospitals across the country. They engaged in in-depth consultations and exchanges on practical issues such as the high-precision navigation of the Puli Baichuan (Galaxy) system, its intraoperative real-time image confirmation function, equipment compatibility, and disposable endoscopes. Attendees showed great interest in the clinical value of the Puli Baichuan (Galaxy) system in the high-precision diagnosis and treatment of peripheral pulmonary nodules.

Conference Summary and Outlook

This Ruijin Respiratory Diseases Academic Conference not only provided a high-level learning and exchange platform for domestic respiratory and interventional physicians, but also demonstrated Puli Ark's proactive role in promoting international academic cooperation and innovation in domestically produced medical equipment. In the future, our company will continue to dedicate itself to the deep integration of artificial intelligence and interventional respiratory technology, working hand in hand with domestic and international experts to jointly promote the high-quality development of interventional pulmonology in China.

References:

【1】Mahajan AK, Duong DK, Cortes J, Bhadra K. The match 2 study: Robotic assisted bronchoscopy with integrated imaging with assessment of digital tomosynthesis (DT) and augmented fluoroscopy (AF): Three-Dimensional accuracy as confirmed by cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Respir Med. 2026 Mar;253:108693. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2026.108693. Epub 2026 Jan 29. PMID: 41620189.

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