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mage-guided technology might not yet be the standard of care in
ENT ORs, but more surgeons are aware of its benefits during rou-
tine sinus surgery and its potential in pushing the boundaries of minimally invasive approaches that promise to speed healing for patients
who'd otherwise face difficult roads to recoveries. If you haven't yet
invested in the technology, you're at a serious disadvantage to those
centers that have.
Confident confirmation
The technology's bread-and-butter usage is during endoscopic sinus
surgery performed on patients with chronic sinusitis, extensive disease, polyps or in need of involved revision surgery. Surgeons who
Image guidance
gives the
surgeon another
sensory input to
confirm what he
already suspects
to be true.
reach beyond the routine also use image guidance
to remove tumors at the base of the skull and
brain, perform pituitary surgery, correct orbital
issues such as tear duct obstruction and fix thyroid
abnormalities.
Endoscopic ENT advancements have paralleled
imaging capabilities — surgeons have been able to
do more as imaging quality such as CT resolution has improved. The
most significant imaging advances from the ENT perspective relate to
the fusion of MRI and CT scan images, particularly as surgeons push the
boundaries of minimally-invasive approaches. Image-guided systems
that capitalize on image-fusion technology let surgeons view overlaid
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