Image-guided surgery allows our surgeons to perform complex procedures with the aid of small, rigid telescopes endoscopes and cameras connected to high definition monitors, to magnify and illuminate the nasal and sinus tissue. This allows our surgeons to precisely see where any given structure is within the nose.

Using your preoperative computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, image-guided surgery works like a GPS system. Your CT or MRI scan is loaded into the image-guided device, and all instruments are adjusted so the position of the tip of the instrument can be seen on the image-guided scan on a separate monitor.

Who is a Candidate?

If you need to undergo one of the following procedures, you may be a candidate for an image-guided procedure:

• Optic nerve decompression
• Primary sinus surgery with complicated anatomy or unusual lesions or tumors
• Removal of sinus tumors
• Revision sinus surgery with distorted anatomy
• Sinus surgery when polyps are present
• Surgery on skull base tumors  or nearby infections
• Surgery on the pituitary gland
• Surgery within the orbit (eye socket)

What to Expect

The term "image-guidance" refers to the use of a probe or instrument, which is generally placed within the nose and tracked by a machine as it moves through the nose and sinuses. A computer, which is either physically or remotely attached to that probe, provides your surgeon with a map of your nose and sinuses. This map is provided by a CT or MRI scan, which is performed prior to your surgery. This CT scan or MRI is commonly referred to as an "image-guidance scan."

In some respects, image-guidance is similar to a GPS system, constantly calculating the position of the probe within your nose and sinuses and displaying that location on a 3-D anatomical layout of your particular sinuses. Unlike GPS systems in your car, however, image-guidance tools don't tell surgeons where they can go. Rather, they give your surgeons very precise knowledge of where the tip of their instrument is to avoid accidentally damaging any critical neurovasculars structure in your sinuses, like the carotid artery or optic nerve.

This is most helpful when surgeons are operating very close to critical neural or vascular structures surrounding the sinuses, when patients have had surgery in the past that has changed their normal anatomy, or when tumors or infections have changed the normal anatomy.

Why Choose UHealth?

Ranked No. 28 in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. The ranking reflects the team’s dedication to excellence in research patient care and outcomes. Surgeons, audiologists, biomedical engineers, speech pathologists, researchers, and psychologists collaborate with many research programs at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to deliver the best possible multidisciplinary care to pediatric and adult ear, nose, and throat patients.

Highly specialized rhinology doctors. The experts at University of Miami Health are here to help you breathe easier, smell better, and rest better with an accurate diagnosis and leading edge treatments in a compassionate setting. Our fellowship-trained providers specialize in the nasal airway, and our rhinology specialists have completed specialized training in nasal and sinus disorders. They have dedicated their clinical and research careers to caring for nasal and sinus disorders.

Our academic health center provides you with more treatment options. Our ENT specialists are experts in the field of rhinology. As part of an academic health center, we are proud to offer breakthrough treatments not available to other facilities in South Florida. We also offer our patients early access to clinical trials and new medical and procedural treatments. We provide comprehensive care for a wide array of rhinologic conditions, backed by expertise, research, and education.