Medtronic is launching its new StealthStation ENT surgical navigation system for ear, nose, and throat procedures following both FDA and CE Mark clearances. The system works by setting up an electromagnetic field around the area being worked on, and then using this field as a coordinate system to accurately track the location of instruments. The field is established thanks to an emitter that is placed under the patient’s head, effectively staying out of the way of clinicians working on the patient.
StealthStation ENT sports a feature called “Virtual Endoscopy” that gives a view of the sinus cavities that would otherwise be impossible to traverse with a typical endoscope. Combining this with imaging data obtained prior to the surgery allows physicians to practice difficult and atypical procedures before doing the same on real patients.
“The intraoperative use of computer-aided surgery is very helpful to assist the surgeon in clarifying complex anatomy during sinus and skull base surgery,” said Joseph Raviv, M.D., director of Endoscopic Sinus and Skull Base Surgery at NorthShore University HealthSystem in Chicago, in a Medtronic press release. “It provides an added level of assurance and may allow for a more thorough sinus procedure.”
Via: Medtronic…