Advantages of using an image-guided system for transnasal endoscopic surgery

Objective To evaluate the advantages of image-guided system in transnasal endoscopic surgery. Methods Transnasal endoscopic surgery was performed with the aid of an image-guided system in 28 patients, supported with histopathologic diagnoses of chronic sinusitis with/without nasal polyps (10 cases), juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (4 cases), pituitary adenoma (6 cases), ethmoidal ossifying fibroma (3 cases), nasopharyngeal mixed tumor (2 cases), nasal leiomyoma (1 case), fungal sinusitis (1 case) and inverted nasal papilloma (1 case). Results For all the patients, the time periods from initialization to surgery ranged from 15 to 30 minutes ( a mean of 26 minutes). The calibration coefficient ranged from 1.3 to 2.0. Accuracy of localization fell within 1 mm. Compared with traditional endoscopic surgery, operation times were not noticeably different. No complications occurred. Conclusions The image-guided system was able to identify borders and critical anatomical structures in real-time, especially of those with distorted anatomical markers. It provided a powerful means for a safer and less invasive endoscopic sinus surgery.