Accuracy of computer navigation in ear, nose, throat surgery - The influence of matching strategy

Objective: To measure the effect of 4 different matching strategies on the accuracy of computer navigation on the face and within the nose and rhinopharynx. Design: Survey. Setting: Laboratory study. Subjects: Six human cadavers studied within 24 hours of death. Interventions: A commercially available navigation system with infrared optical tracking was used for computer navigation on the face and within the nose of the subjects after matching with external fiducials or with 3 different configurations of anatomical landmarks. Navigation errors were measured and correlated to matching strategies and compared through statistical analysis. Results: Matching with external fiducials on the face results in smaller navigation error than matching with anatomical landmarks. The configuration of matching strategies with anatomical landmarks also significantly determines the accuracy of computer navigation, especially when different locations of accuracy measurement are considered. Conclusion: Statistically significant findings have shown that the choice of a matching strategy is a major factor in the accuracy of computer navigation for ear, nose, throat surgery.