Image guided surgery is one of the most significant advances in endoscopic sinus surgery since its beginning. This technology enables the surgeon to follow the anatomic dissection of the sinuses on a computer monitor in the operating room in real time. As the normal anatomy is often distorted by disease, trauma or previous surgery, and as minimally invasive surgical techniques have been developed, Intraoperative image guidance has become an invaluable tool.
Image guidance is a near-three-dimensional mapping system that combines computed tomography (CT) scans and real-time information about the exact position of surgical instruments using infrared signals. In this way, surgeons can navigate their surgical instruments through complex sinus passages and provide surgical relief more precisely and safely.