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they had worked out all the glitches or knew the system well
enough to provide the proper level of support to our staff and
surgeons," says Ms. Cunningham.
2. Trust. During the company's transition, the rep Ms.
Cunningham was used to working with left the company. "I don't
know if they were related, but it didn't sit well with me," she says.
"Without a trustworthy rep, I wasn't confident in the support we'd
receive."
3. Onsite help. Ms. Cunningham's staff and surgeons needed
plenty of support while they learned how to use the equipment.
She expected the rep to be present during employee training and
at every case that employed the technology. "The company we
went with had tons of support and was always there when we
needed them," says Ms. Cunningham. "I had a feeling that the
other company would leave us hanging. Four years later, I'm so
glad I trusted my gut because we are 100% sure we made the
best choice." — JoEllen McBride, PhD
2. 3D Imaging
AR isn't the only thing shaking up how surgeons view their proce-
dures. Ms. Cunningham's system uses 3D imaging by overlaying 3 dif-
ferent 2D images from CT scans of the patient. These images update
during procedures to show where instruments are located in real time.
The same company now offers a system that uses CT scans to gener-
ate 3D models of the patient's head and sinus and nasal anatomy.
"This technology is closer to VR than AR," says Dr. Citardi.
3. Microsensors
Current image-guidance systems rely on electromagnetic or infrared
sensors that are attached to or embedded into the handle of the instru-
