title: Image-guided surgery and craniofacial applications: mastering the unseen.
abstract: Image-guided surgery potentially enhances intraoperative safety and outcomes in a variety of craniomaxillofacial procedures. We explore the efficiency of one intraoperative navigation system in a single complex craniofacial case, review the initial and recurring costs, and estimate the added cost (e.g., additional setup time, registration). We discuss the potential challenges and benefits of utilizing image-guided surgery in our specific case and its benefits in terms of educational and teaching purposes and compare this with traditional osteotomies that rely on a surgeon's thorough understanding of anatomy coupled with tactile feedback to blindly guide the osteotome during surgery. A 13-year-old presented with untreated syndromic multi-suture synostosis, brachycephaly, severe exorbitism, and midface hypoplasia. For now, initial costs are high, recurring costs are relatively low, and there are perceived benefits of imaged-guided surgery as an excellent teaching tool for visualizing difficult and often unseen anatomy through computerized software and multi-planar real-time images.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX USA.|Department of Surgery, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX USA.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Pediatrics, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX USA.
authors.forename: Laszlo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.affiliation: Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, 3601 4th Street STOP 8312, Lubbock, TX 79430 USA.
authors.forename: Joshua C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Demke