December 2025

PULMONARY

INNOVATIVE CASE REPORT: NEW 3D TECHNOLOGY USED FOR THORACIC SURGERY

Featuring: Kalvin C. Lung, MD
After a recent lung cancer diagnosis, 65-year-old retired army nurse Tonni Richard is now the first lung surgery patient to undergo a rare procedure using the da Vinci 5 surgical robot at Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute.

“I started having muscle spasms on the right side of my back during Pilates classes. When the symptoms didn’t go away, I underwent a CT scan at a local hospital where they discovered a neuroendocrine tumor on my lower right lung,” says Tonni. “The thoracic surgeon told me they'd need to remove the entire lower lobe of my lung which would cause me to lose 20% of my oxygen capacity,”.

Transforming Lung Surgery With Technology
After receiving her diagnosis, Tonni sought out the expertise of Kalvin C. Lung, MD, thoracic surgeon at Canning Thoracic Institute, who specializes in removing less lung tissue during surgery to preserve lung function and improve the quality of life for patients.

Using state-of-the-art technology, Dr. Lung was able to convert Tonni's CT scan into a 3D model integrated directly into the console of the surgical robot. Previously, surgeons could only view 3D images of tumors on their phone or laptop, requiring them to look away from the console during surgery. Now the 3D model now appears inside the console, so thoracic surgeons can look at it in real time allowing them to operate deeper into the lung.

“When a normal CT scan is performed, it doesn’t give us all the details of the lung’s anatomy. For example, it’s kind of like looking at Google Earth from far away — you can see the state of Iowa, but you can’t make out any cities,” explains Dr. Lung. “When we’re sitting at the robot with this new 3D technology, it provides us with remarkable precision, allowing us to remove the tumor while saving most of the lung. In Tonni’s case, her tumor was in a segment of the lung where surgery isn’t commonly done, and that’s why the 3D technology was so instrumental.”

Thanks to the new technology, Dr. Lung was able to remove Tonni's tumor and only 5% of her lung.

Commitment to Innovation
Canning Thoracic Institute has pioneered several transformative minimally invasive thoracic procedures such as:
​The pulmonology and lung surgery program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital is proud to be the highest-ranked in Illinois for 14 straight years and No. 7 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, 2025 – 2026.
Kalvin C. Lung, MD, Assistant Professor of Thoracic Surgery

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