Image‐guided navigation: the surgeon's perspective on performance consequences and human factors issues

Abstract

IGN is evaluated as a helpful tool for surgeons. However, special care should be taken to provide surgeons with sufficient time and training during familiarization with an IGN system.

Does Image-Guided Surgery Reduce Complications?

“…Surgeon surveys have documented improvements in workload, stress, spatial orientation, situational awareness, and confidence at the skull base, all things that logically imply improved results. 13,16,18 Theodoraki and colleagues 19 noted increased stress in trainee surgeons during situations of bleeding and poor visualization, the exact scenario in which complications are most likely to occur. 20 Of note, mental workload and stress appear to decrease as experience is gained in ESS, 19 and most of the available literature on surgeon psyche during ESS evaluates surgeons in training; thus, the argument may be made that IGS benefits on surgeon psyche may be less important as surgical experience is gained.…”

“…16 Even experienced surgeons seem to benefit from the improved anatomic orientation and situational awareness offered by IGS and subjectively equate this with less-apparent surgical risk. 13 Although it may be a challenge to prove outcome benefit and reduction in complications, it is clear that IGS helps us in many ways based on surgeon survey. By surveying attitudes during and after surgery, we can assess how it may help in a manner that is different from numerical outcomes and complication rates, especially given the many variables that prove challenging in outcomes studies.…”

“…There should be little debate that IGS in such scenarios improves the surgeon's sense of spatial orientation and situational awareness. 9,13 One manner of improving spatial orientation and anatomic understanding is the ability to scroll through images in 3 planes in real time. This is perhaps one of the most valuable aspects of this technology.…”

Evidence and evidence gaps in therapies of nasal obstruction and rhinosinusitis

“…On the other hand, the application of navigation systems appears to reduce the mental stress on the surgeon [197], [198], thereby creating better preconditions to lower the complication rates. Reduced failure rates were found, for example, in a laparoscopic model where the surgeons experienced less mental distress [199].…”

Cochlear Implantation Assisted by Noninvasive Image Guidance

“…The use of IGS is considered to improve the completeness of the surgery while securing patient's safety (1,2). In the head and neck, IGS is popular in endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery.…”