Virtual Surgical Planning and Three-Dimensional Models for Precision Sinonasal and Skull Base Surgery

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Sinonasal and skull base malignancies are rare tumors which present adjacent to numerous critical anatomical structures. Despite the increased use of endoscopic techniques, many patients still require open surgery. Treatment with surgery requires careful pre-operative planning. Virtual surgical planning and three-dimensional, patient-specific models offer a range of benefits to clinicians in terms of planning tumor resection and reconstruction. In additional, these technologies improve communication with patients, trainee doctors and other colleagues. In this article, we explore the applications of virtual surgical planning in sinonasal and skull base surgery. ABSTRACT: Sinonasal and skull base malignancies represent a rare, heterogenous group of pathologies with an incidence of 0.556 per 100,000 persons in the population. Given the numerous critical anatomic structures located adjacent to the sinonasal cavity and skull base, surgery for tumors in this region requires careful pre-operative planning with the assistance of radiological imaging and intraoperative image guidance technologies to reduce the risk of complications. Virtual surgical planning (VSP) and three-dimensional models (3DMs) are adjunctive technologies which assist clinicians to better visualize patient anatomy using enhanced digital radiological images and physical stereolithographic models based on patients’ personal imaging. This review summarizes our institutional experience with VSP and 3DMs in sinonasal and skull base surgical oncology. A clinical case series is used to thematically illustrate the application of VSP and 3DMs in surgical ablation, reconstruction, patient communication, medical education, and interdisciplinary teamwork in sinonasal and skull base surgery.