Application of 3D computer-assisted techniques to sinonasal pathology—Case report: War wounds of paranasal sinuses caused by metallic foreign bodies

• Published in: American journal of otolaryngology Vol. 23; no. 1; pp. 27 - 34
• Main Authors: Klapan, Ivica, Šimičić, Ljubimko, Bešenski, Nada, Bumber, Željko, Janjanin, Saša, Sruk, Vlado, Mihajlović, Željka, Rišavi, Ranko, Mladina, Ranko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.01.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Child; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; Foreign Bodies - diagnostic imaging; Foreign Bodies - surgery; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; Intraoperative Care; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Medical sciences; Metals; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology. Orbit; Paranasal Sinuses; Radiodiagnosis. Nmr imagery. Nmr spectrometry; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Warfare; Human; Endoscopic surgery; Radiodiagnosis; Three dimensional field; Paranasal sinus; Metallic material; Case study; Treatment; Surgery; Medical imagery; ENT disease; Paranasal sinus disease; Foreign body; Computerized axial tomography; Endoscopy; Diagnosis; Technique; Computer aid
• ISSN: 0196-0709; 1532-818X
• DOI: 10.1053/ajot.2002.28768

Foreign bodies in paranasal sinuses are found quite infrequently. They are usually detected after various types of head trauma and most commonly occur as a consequence of improper handling of firearms or explosives. In countries at war, eg, during the war in Croatia, adults and children were almost equally exposed to these injuries. The diagnosis should be based on results from precise computer tomography (CT) scanning in axial and coronal sections, and, using these data, tissues of different densities at these anatomical locations can be differentiated. The possibility of exact preoperative, noninvasive visualization of the spatial relationships of anatomic and pathologic structures with 3-dimensional (3D) computer-assisted diagnosis and intraoperative navigational techniques allows the surgeon to achieve a considerable advantage in the preoperative examination of the patient and to reduce the risk of intraoperative complications, all by the use of virtual surgery (VS) or virtual diagnosis. The expected contribution of the mentioned computer-assisted surgical technique manifests itself in defining the most appropriate mode of CT scanning of the head to design the 3D operating field model, and the possibility of active and dynamic 3D visualization of the desired anatomical regions is realized. 3D reconstruction of anatomic units becomes a routine preoperative procedure, providing a highly useful and informative visualization of the regions of interest, and, thus, advancing the definition of geometric information on anatomical contours of the 3D model by the transfer of so-called image pixel to contour pixel. (Am J Otolaryngol 2002;23:27-34. Copyright © 2002 by W.B. Saunders Company)