An Integrated Virtual Surgical Planning System for Nasal Airway Obstruction.

Nasal airway obstruction (NAO) is a condition where nasal passages are blocked, preventing normal airflow through the nose. NAO is one of the most common conditions treated by otolaryngologists using surgical procedures. However, surgical procedures have a high failure rate and surgery planning has the potential to improve surgical outcomes. However, current surgical planning systems are challenging to use, are not interactive, and don't consider physiological parameters. This paper reports the development of nSurgSim, an integrated virtual surgical planning application that incorporates model generation, computational fluid dynamics feedback, and patient-outcome analysis. We conducted a usability study with twenty-one board-certified ENT surgeons to evaluate the ease of use, perceived usefulness, and potential for clinical adoption. Overall, the study result shows nSurgSim will be a valuable tool in the ENT surgeon's arsenal for complex cases and a powerful tool for a general understanding of procedures and improvement in procedure outcomes.