Advances in surgical navigation

Abstract

Surgical navigation technology provides real-time intraoperative localization of surgical instruments within the field. These systems are highly accurate, assist with preoperative planning, and improve surgeon confidence. The industry has recently responded to the growing trend of treatment in ambulatory surgical centers by offering surgical navigation devices that are more compact, less expensive and more user-friendly than conventional devices. Surgical navigation is indicated for complex sinonasal disease and may reduce the risk of complications. The indications for surgical navigation continue to expand as the technology improves and imaging data synthesis evolves to include multimodality fusion and real-time intraoperative data-set updates. Although now widely available, navigation systems are still considered state of the art, and not standard of care.