Image-Guided Surgery System
As Albert Wilkinson III, MD, works to remove polyps from the patient's sinuses, he relies on his years of training and the camera showing him pictures of his work to judge where he is in the patient's sinus. Operating so close to the patient's brain, where every millimeter matters, physicians could never see the precise location of the tumor or polyp they were working on in comparison to their location inside the sinus. That has changed.
By using a three-dimensional (3D) image of the patient's head in conjunction with an image-guided surgery system, Wilkinson is able to see exactly the location of the polyps he removes and where his instruments are in the patient's sinus during the procedure.
"Many times in surgery, because of a tumor or a polyp, it is difficult to locate familiar landmarks in the patient's anatomy to guide you during a surgery," Wilkinson says. "With image-guided surgery, that has all changed. I can see in real time where I am because I have a 3D map of the patient's sinuses and it is in sync with my surgical instruments."
The technology in image guided surgery is similar to that used by global positioning satellite systems. A computerized tomography (CT) scan is performed of the patient and those images are used to create a 3D image of the patient. The surgeon then sets "landmarks" on the patient's body that are then matched with the 3D image and the CT scan. The surgeon's instruments are electronically linked to the patient, the CT scan and the 3D image, allowing for a precise detail previously not seen in surgery.
"The sinus is quite complex and any surgery where you are so close to the brain requires extra care and finesse," Wilkinson says. "Image-guided surgery takes the guess work out of the procedure and leads to better outcomes."
The system allows for faster operating times and quicker recovery for the patients, because surgeons can make smaller and fewer incisions in many cases. Wilkinson, who has used the image-guided system at Baptist Medical Center for three years, says operations such as the extensive removal of polyps from the patient's sinuses could take hours as the surgeon slowly moved instruments inside the sinus cavity. With the image-guided system, clearing a patient's entire left sinus cavity took less than 45 minutes.
"Knowing where you are at all times during a surgery is a major advantage when you are in such a small space as a patient's sinuses. The system truly complements and adds to the skills of the surgeon," Wilkinson adds.
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