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Battle Post-op Pain Without Opioids - April 2016 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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can be some distinct advantages to having reusable instruments." Storz also offers both infrared- and electromagnetic-based systems, depend- ing on surgeon preference. The system footprint is also smaller than most, with a tablet-sized screen that can be attached to a standard pole. 1 0 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 6 When it comes to diagnosing and understanding paranasal diseases, the answers are rarely as plain as the nose on your face. "We're still trying to understand what allows people to sense that they're breathing, and what contributes to nasal obstruction," says Alex Farag, MD, assistant professor of skull-base rhinol- ogy and skull-base surgery in the department of otolaryngology at Ohio State University at Wexler Medical Center in Columbus. To unlock those secrets, Dr. Farag and his colleagues are creating 3D models of patients' nasal cavities based on CT scans. The goal is to be able to simulate airflow through the sinus cavity, to see how it will be affected by surgery and to achieve better and more predictable outcomes. "We feel this is the next paradigm shift — the next level in understanding the true physiology of the sinus nasal cavity and paranasal diseases," says Dr. Farag. "Smelling is actually a very complex process. And these 3D models are really helping us." Failure to understand the complex interactions in the nasal cavity can lead to a host of post- surgical complications. "For example, if you make too much room in the nose, you could be talking about empty nose syndrome," says Dr. Farag, describing a condition in which patients feel as if they're struggling to breathe, even though their passages are wide open. The 3D modeling also helps surgeons see and understand what are often significant variations among patients "Chronic sinusitis and diseases like it are actually more complex than some- times recognized," says Dr. Farag. "There are genetic and anatomical variations that affect how patents interact with the environment. Everyone is born a little different and treatment needs to be tailored to the individual." — Jim Burger BREATHING AND SMELLING 3D Modeling Dives Inside the Nasal Cavity

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