Computer-assisted endoscopic sinus surgery.

Abstract

Until the development and use of computer-assisted localization technology in endoscopic sinus surgery procedures, surgical risks to patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery procedures included blindness, diplopia, or partial vision loss and damage to the cribriform plates and posterior roofs of their ethmoidal sinuses. Successful patient outcomes were dependent on the ability of surgeons to visualize surgical sites directly, to correlate data from two-dimensional computed tomography scans, and to apply these data to anatomic landmarks. Advances in computer-imaging modalities and computer-assisted localization technology have eliminated many of the surgical problems and patient complications associated with early endoscopic sinus surgery procedures and have caused fundamental changes in the way otorhinolaryngologists diagnose and treat patients with sinus disease.