Patient Services Patient Information Image Guidance System
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Image Guidance System  Midwest
Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists, RC. along with Mary Lanning Memorial
Hospital have made a technological leap forward. Mary Lanning Memorial
Hospital purchased a sophisticated image guided surgery system for use
during sinus surgeries.The LandmarXTM ENT Image Guidance System, from Medtronic Xomed, utilizes imaging data from CT scanning devices to build a 3D image model of a patient's head. This model is then electronically matched to the patient's anatomy during surgery, which then allows the surgeon to virtually "see through tissue" and accurately determine the precise location of surgical instrument with respect to critical anatomy. In the past, surgeons relied on previously acquired diagnostic information to guide the way during patient treatment. The development of the X-ray enabled the visualization of the sinuses and more recently, computed tomography (CT) and other advanced imaging modalities began providing internal views of organs and soft tissues, as well as their functional states. This fixed information was remotely displayed on a light box 10 feet away and was only viewable in two dimensions, requiring the physician to imagine instrument-to-anatomy relationships. Today, a breakthrough technology exists that provides 3-D visualization of anatomical features with real-time localization information. With the LandmarX ENT Image Guidance System from Medtronic Xomed, the physician can now take CT image data sets and transform them into three-dimensional volumes, utilizing a sophisticated Silicon Graphics computer. The LandmarX technology functions very similarly to GPS (global positioning) technology. More specifically: when the surgeon's instrument touches the patent's anatomy, an optical scanner mounted about the operating table locates the instrument and establishes a 3-D location. The instrument location is entered through a digitizer to the Silicon Graphics computer. The computer registers, or matches the anatomy to the patient's preoperative CT data and indicates the instrument's location on a high-resolution monitor for the surgeon. The surgeon can then follow, in real-time, the precise location of surgical instruments. This technology is referred to as computer-assisted or image guided-surgery. The LandmarX System delivers excellent accuracy. Surgeons are able to pinpoint the location of instruments and navigate through and around critical anatomy in the sinuses. The LandmarX System assists the surgeon in performing faster, more cost-effective, and less invasive surgery. To learn more, please talk to the staff at Midwest Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists, P.C. They will be more than happy to answer your questions. |