Robotic Systems Evaluation for Peripheral Pulmonary Lesions: A Randomized Trial (RISE Trial)

Roughly 1.6 million lung nodules are identified every year in the United States. When tissue sampling is required, robotic-assisted bronchoscopy (RAB) systems are increasingly used to reach peripheral targets inaccessible to standard bronchoscopy.

Robotic-assisted bronchoscopy (RAB) has rapidly evolved as a promising modality for sampling PPLs. Two FDA-cleared robotic platforms are currently in clinical use: the ION™ Endoluminal System (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) and the Monarch™ Platform (Johnson & Johnson MedTech / Auris Health, Redwood City, CA). Both platforms were cleared through the FDA 510(k) pathway, which requires demonstration of substantial equivalence to predicate devices but does not mandate comparative effectiveness data prior to commercialization.

The ION™ system uses shape-sensing fiber-optic technology to track catheter position with high precision throughout the bronchial tree. It has been shown in multiple studies to achieve diagnostic yields ranging from 67-85%, with enhanced performance when combined with intraprocedural cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). The recent RELIANT trial (the first cluster-randomized controlled trial in interventional pulmonology) demonstrated that ION™ was non-inferior to electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) with integrated digital tomosynthesis, with diagnostic yields of 77.8% and 75.5% respectively (P for non-inferiority = 0.007).

The Monarch™ platform uses a hybrid approach combining electromagnetic tracking and robotic catheter control with a continuously visualizing bronchoscope (4-way articulation). A key feature of the Monarch™ is direct bronchoscopic vision throughout navigation, enabling real-time assessment of the airways and the target lesion. The Monarch™ has received additional FDA clearance for bronchoscopic transparenchymal nodule access (BTPNA), allowing access to lesions without a direct airway path. Published studies report diagnostic yields of 66-81% for the Monarch™ platform, though most are single-center, non-randomized studies with varying definitions of diagnostic yield, co-intervention use, and did not fully use integrated intraprocedural imaging (including fluoroscopy and CBCT, as available and integrated).

Critically, no randomized or high-quality comparative study has directly compared the ION™ and Monarch™ platforms head-to-head with integrated intraprocedural imaging. As both systems are now available at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and represent substantial capital expenditures, high-quality prospective comparative data are urgently needed to guide clinical decision-making and resource allocation. This trial leverages the existing dual-platform clinical infrastructure at UHCMC to conduct a pragmatic, cluster-randomized, non-inferiority trial embedded within routine clinical care