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Surgeons at Jefferson Hospital will Explore
the Sinuses on the Web and Demonstrate High-Tech Procedure to Treat
Chronic Sinus Problems
September 17, 4:30 pm, ET
A combination
of futuristic computer technology and traditional surgery is allowing
surgeons at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to successfully treat
chronic sinus problems less invasively.
"Stealth" or image-guided surgery incorporates
technology such as infrared optics, electromagnetic beams, "interactive"
CT scans and sophisticated computers to treat sinusitis or sinus infection.
Jefferson Hospital, one of the first hospitals in the Philadelphia area
to offer stealth surgery, will provide an in-depth demonstration of
this innovative procedure during a live Webcast on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
Sinusitis or sinus infection is an inflammation and infection
of the sinus cavities that occur when mucus that normally drains into
nasal passages begins collecting in the facial sinuses instead. It is
estimated that 35 million people develop sinusitis annually, making
it one of the most common health conditions in the United States.
Symptoms of sinusitis include postnasal drip, nasal congestion, troubled
breathing, facial pressure and loss of smell.
Image-guided endoscopic surgery is usually recommended for patients
with chronic sinus infections, not responding to medications for this
condition.
This three-dimensional mapping allows otolaryngologists-- head and neck
surgeons-- to see more clearly as they make their way through the sinus
cavities, thus minimizing the chance of sinus surgery complications
and allowing surgeons to perform more thorough and safer procedures.
This technique has been used extensively at Jefferson for the past six
to seven years.
"The sinuses are entered through the
nasal passageway much like going through a corridor and gaining access
to rooms off the corridor," explained William Keane, M.D., professor
and chairman, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Jefferson Medical
College of Thomas Jefferson University.
"Sinus surgery, in earlier years, required making an open incision
on the face, or through the mouth to gain access to the sinus cavities,"
Dr. Keane said. These approaches require prolonged recovery time with
greater discomfort and less successful results than with functional
endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS)."
In the hands of a surgeon experienced with this procedure, FESS involves
the insertion of an endoscope, a very thin fiber-optic tube, into the
nose for visual examination of the openings into the sinuses.
"Stealth" surgery, however, enhances
FESS, said Marc R. Rosen, M.D., assistant professor of Otolaryngology-Head
and Neck Surgery, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.
"The 'stealth' system provides the surgeon with a more precise
ability to maintain orientation as he operates through the relatively
complex anatomy of the sinuses," said Dr. Rosen.
After taking a special computed tomography (CT) scan
of the patient's sinuses to create a "road map" of the patient's
skull, the surgeon can correlate the CT image with the position of a
probe. The surgeon places a hand-held probe in the patient's nose, while
correlating the probe's position with the scan on a computer screen.
This image-guidance system shows the location of the probe's tip so
the surgeon can safely navigate through trouble spots.
The technology is particularly useful if a patient's sinus anatomy is
unusual or
the patient has already had one or more sinus procedures. In these cases,
there is greater risk due to altered anatomy and loss of landmarks due
to scarring left from the previous surgery.
The Webcast is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 credit. Jefferson Medical
College of Thomas Jefferson University, as a member of the Consortium
for Academic Continuing Medical Education, is accredited by the ACCME
to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
