New instrument reduces complications

“Picture if you will,” as Rod Serling would say. Driving the streets of downtown Shreveport, there are no street signs, no stop lights and no names on buildings! You are driving on a dark and confusing trip; but this time you are trying to navigate through your patient’s sinus passages, and obstacles mar your drive. The patient’s sinus roadmap has changed secondary to polyps, infection and deviations that you hadn’t planned for. Besides that, venturing too far over the edge could result in dire consequences.

Feeling your way is the only alternative. While searching this complicated and dangerous driving situation is unlikely to occur, sinus surgeons have been forced for years to navigate the sinuses using only their knowledge of the anatomy. Sinus surgery was once a complicated task for doctors who had to guide their instruments by feeling their way through the maze of hair chambers known as the sinuses. Now, there is a breakthrough in sinus surgery. The Fiagon, a new, computerguided instrument, provides surgeons with an inside view of the sinuses that makes surgery safer and reduces complications!

More than 30 million Americans suffer from sinus disease, experiencing symptoms such as facial pain, feeling of fullness in the face, difficulty breathing through the nose, persistent bad smell in the nose, postnasal discharge and headaches. How many of these sinus problems can be successfully treated with antibiotics? And about 5,000 sinus surgeries are still necessary each year. Doctors recommend sinus surgery for people who have an infection or inflammation that will not respond to treatment without antibiotics, nose spray and other pills to reduce inflammation. These patients return over and over with the above complaints. For many, sinus surgery using the Fiagon Surgical Navigation System allows a more accurate removal of disease tissues and less removal of normal tissue. This translates to more gentle operation for the patient. I can do this surgery on an outpatient basis without the necessity of long-term or short-term packing. Certainly, a more gentle sinus operation for my patients.

Christus Highland Medical Center and Parker Sinus Center have become the first health-care providers in the Ark-La-Tex to utilize a state-of-the-art computer system designed for pinpoint accuracy and minimal complications during sinus surgery. The Fiagon system allows the surgeon to see the exact position of his instruments and their movement in the sinuses on the computer video screen. Dr. J. William Parker Jr., MD FACS, brought the breakthrough technology to Highland in 2017. Fiagon Navigation System is now available for the entire ENT community.

Using the patient’s CT scan made prior to the procedure, the patient’s anatomy is calibrated as they are asleep in the operating room to an accuracy of .25 mm. The new Fiagon system produces a threedimensional computer model of the patient’s sinuses. The scans are a perfect match to the patient’s anatomy. In the operating room, the computer displays the video view from the endoscopic camera, as well as the axial sagittal and coronal CT views of the sinuses. Size and location of the doctor’s instruments in these areas are indicated by crosshairs on the screen to ensure accuracy. I tell my patients that it is like having a GPS in your sinuses during surgery. The system gives the surgeon confidence and a safety mechanism for difficult or revision cases. Many patients face the possibility of additional procedures no matter how well the preceding surgery was done, simply because of the nature of the ailment. I believe with difficult operations or revision operations you can lose your landmarks because of scar tissue or recurrent polyps. The Fiagon System is a momentous breakthrough for Shreveport-Bossier and surrounding Ark-La-Tex. “In many cases, sinus disease surrounds the eye and lies up against the brain,” says Dr. Bill Parker. “This system allows the surgeon to work more thoroughly and closer to the edge of the senses to remove as much of the diseased tissue as possible. Also, the Fiagon System reduces time for certain sinus procedures by as much as 25 percent.

This technology is becoming the gold standard for sinus surgery. It is being taught by leading medical schools to try and future ENT surgeons. “It’s the best way to have an operation on your sinuses,” says Parker.

Parker Sinus Center is located within the Highland Clinic.

Dr. J. William Parker Jr. is an ear, nose & throat / facial plastic and reconstructive surgery physician at Highland Clinic. He treats both children and adults and accepts most insurance plans. Dr. Parker specializes in disease and surgery in the area of the face, throat, sinuses and neck, with a specialty in chronic sinus patients. He now offers a new service known as Balloon Sinus Dilation. He is accepting new patients and can be reached at (318) 798-4565, located at 1455 East Bert Kouns Industrial Loop, Suite 207, Shreveport, LA 71105. Visit http://www.parkersinuscenter.com for more information.