[Modified procedure for patient registration for navigation control instruments in ENT surgery]

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Medical Device Technology
• Biomaterials

Context:

• Accurate patient registration is crucial for surgical navigation systems, particularly in cranial procedures.
• Conventional bite-splint registration requires manufacturing by dental technicians, adding time and cost.
• Directly utilizing surgeon-prepared imprints offers a potential solution to streamline this process.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the re-positioning accuracy of three silicon materials for direct imprint bite-splints in a laboratory setting.
• To compare the accuracy of these materials against the gold standard bite-splint after multiple re-positioning cycles.
• To assess the cost-effectiveness and clinical applicability of the direct imprint method.

Summary:

• Three silicon materials were tested for re-positioning accuracy using a 3D measuring device.
• C-Silikon Optosil demonstrated superior accuracy compared to the gold standard, with a mean deviation of 0.17 mm after all cycles.
• The direct imprint method using Optosil offers significant cost savings (>100 euro per bite-splint) and was successfully implemented in clinical ENT surgery.

Impact:

• The direct imprint bite-splint method using C-Silikon Optosil provides a more accurate, cost-effective, and efficient alternative for patient registration in surgical navigation.
• This technique simplifies the workflow by eliminating the need for external dental laboratory involvement.
• The study's findings led to the exclusive adoption of this procedure for bite-splint-based registration in the participating clinic.