3D Modeling Before Sinus Surgery

Endoscopic sinus surgery is considered as a modern and effective method in otorhinolaryngology. Commonly, preoperative planning is made with the help of imaging techniques including X-ray, CT, and MRI, in addition to rigid or flexible endoscopy. The physicians create three-dimensional (3D) structures in their mind before the surgery by assembling two-dimensional (2D) images. Folks in the aerodynamic industry have been using 3D modeling since a long time, and researchers started using it in the nasal airway to see if they are able to provide a better understanding of the physiology underlying nasal function and nasal symptoms in sinus diseases. According to researchers, roughly 30% of adults in the US suffer from some form of chronic sinusitis, and that translates to a healthcare expenditure of nearly $6 billion. Although some patients may respond to medical treatments initially, the chronic sinus disease process can become very unresponsive and result in more advanced infections requiring a more aggressive treatment including surgery. Paranasal sinus CT scan in coronal plane is a term well known to radiologists all over the world. Slice thickness, shift, gantry tilt, and window settings are standardized values that are recognized internationally; hence, they can be reproducible worldwide. 3D reconstruction, which is available these days on PCs equipped, deals with this problem. By introducing a continuity of structures (0.5–1 mm sections), 3D reconstruction enables the visualization of the structures in total since it avoids the loss of images through utilization of the standard technique in sinus CT imaging (3–5 mm sections).