Author(s)
Derek L. Vanhille, MD
Guilherme J. M. Garcia, PhD
Onur Asan ,PhD
Azadeh A. T. Borojeni, PhD
Dennis O. Frank-Ito, PhD
Julia S. Kimbell, PhD
Sachin S. Pawar, MD
John S. Rhee, MD, MPH
Affiliation(s)
Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences & Department of Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Abstract:
"1) Design and refine the graphical interface of a virtual surgery planning tool for NAO. 2) Determine if surgeon decision making can be affected by this tool." Cross-sectional study, single institution. Based on pre-surgery computed tomography scans of one patient with NAO, virtual surgery models were created to represent septoplasty and inferior turbinate reduction, as well as various combinations of these procedures. A virtual surgery interface was developed to illustrate the geometry of virtual surgery models and the CFD-predicted airflow variables for each surgical scenario. Surgeons participated in a 60-minute interview where they were able to review the NAO patient case and interact with the virtual surgery interface. Surgeons’ feedback was collected via a questionnaire developed based on the Technology Acceptance Model. "Results: All nine study participants were male, board-certified otolaryngologists at our academic institution with a mean (range) 15 (4-28) years in practice and with a mean (range) 2.2 (0-6) nasal surgeries performed per month. When asked how realistic the virtual models were compared to actual surgery on a scale of 1-5 with 1 representing “not at all” and 5 representing “completely”, the mean response was 3.4 ± 0.5. When asked how much the virtual surgery model changed surgeon decision making, the mean response on the same scale was 2.6 ± 1.6, yet even those who did not change their surgical decision felt that the virtual surgery tool validated their choice. Regarding perceived usefulness of the technology on a scale of 1-7 with 1 representing “strongly disagree” and 7 representing “strongly agree”, the mean response was 5.1 ± 1.1. On the same scale, attitude towards using the technology was 5.7 ± 0.9. Conclusion: Our pilot group of surgeons overall had a positive interaction with the virtual surgery planning tool and felt this technology could be useful for nasal surgery. Further development of this technology could aid surgeons in patient counseling, pre-operative planning, and surgical decision making with the potential role for this technology in other applications within otolaryngology."