Robot-assisted endoscope guidance versus manual endoscope guidance in functional endonasal sinus surgery (FESS).

Background: Having one hand occupied with the endoscope is the major disadvantage for the surgeon when it comes to functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Only the other hand is free to use the surgical instruments. Tiredness or frequent instrument changes can thus lead to shaky endoscopic images.

Workspace and pivot point for robot-assisted endoscope guidance in functional endonasal sinus surgery (FESS).

Background: For the further development of robot-assisted endoscope guidance in functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), ground data about the workspaces and endoscope movements in conventional FESS are needed.

Methods: Applying a self-developed marker-based tracking system, we collected the pose data (position and orientation) of the endoscope and all other instruments used in five real sinus surgeries.

Results: The automated segmentation of the endoscope poses shows the shape of a hourglass, with a pivot region or pivot point at the 'waistline' of the hourglass, close to the nasal entrance in the nasal dome.