otohns.net Conference Coverage AAO-HNSF & OTO Expo 2000

otohns.net Conference Coverage
Annual Meeting of the AAO-HNSF and Oto Expo
Washington, D.C - 2000

"CBYON: Savant Image Guidance System"
Barbara Nesbitt, Executive Editor of MediSpecialty.com with Dr. Martin Citardi
Audio/Video Link
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Barbara Nesbitt: “Hi, I’m Barbara Nesbitt, and I’m here with Dr. Martin Citardi who is Assistant Professor at the St. Louis University of School of Medicine, and I’m going to ask him a couple of questions. There’s a wonderful product here at the Conference that’s new and exciting, tell me a little bit about CBYON Savant image guidance system, doctor.”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “The CBYON Savant is the newest generation of computer aided surgery. It provides virtual endoscopic views and brilliant visualization. It also adds a surgical navigation feature so that surgeons can know precisely where they are when performing delicate sinus surgery, spine surgery, or even neuro surgical procedures.”

Barbara Nesbitt: “I was over there yesterday, and I was watching them. It’s wonderful that they can put the CAT scans in. Tell us a little something about prior to the surgery.”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “The patient undergoes a specialized CAT scan and they’re transferred over computer network to the computer where the data is manipulated and reformatted in a way that gives three-dimensional reconstruction. Most CAT scans provide good anatomic data but the surgeon still has to interpret it and make it seem 3-D, and this helps simplify that process.”

Barbara Nesbitt: “It was wonderful. Then they also had the endoscopes so they could watch it while they were doing it.”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “That’s another benefit of the system because it has a registered virtual endoscopy. They can have a standard endoscopic view and have it appear the same as a reconstructive view and then the two views can be superimposed next to each other so you really have maximum information both in the virtual world and the real world simultaneously, and no other system now can do that.”

Barbara Nesbitt: “Now another thing that I noticed when I was over there is that the physician who has a particular company whose scope he’s most comfortable using, can use his own scope.”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “Right, the Savant is really a surgical navigation platform so it can be adapted to a variety of different operating rooms, it’s very practical, and there are different pieces of equipment that will integrate with it.”

Barbara Nesbitt: “There was also something that was on the patient’s head that I was told was reusable.”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “Correct.”

Barbara Nesbitt: “I remember them telling me what the good part of that was.”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “That is a head set, for a process known as registration. Registration of the calibration set so the computer can recognize where the patient is in three-dimensional state and that headset tells the computer that piece of information. So when the surgeon points to a particular structure, he can localize on that structure and the computer can register that on the CT scan images.”

Barbara Nesbitt: “Now that particular one you can sterilize and reuse?”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “Yes.”

Barbara Nesbitt: “That’s what I thought.”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “That’s a reusable item.”

Barbara Nesbitt: “That’s because they are not terribly expensive but they’re also not terribly inexpensive to be able to sterilize and reuse it makes it a good thing.”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “It makes a big difference. Even an inexpensive item that you’re using commonly can add up and keeping track of costs obviously is an important concern.”

Barbara Nesbitt: “Now looking at this from a patient’s standpoint, what would the benefits be for a patient that had this type of equipment used while they’re having surgery?”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “A lot of surgery today is performed endoscopically using minimally invasive techniques, and anything that can give a surgeon more information about anatomy and three-dimensional relationships is going to make that surgery safer and more effective. The CBYON surgical tool allows us to have safer surgery and better results.”

Barbara Nesbitt: “Very good, I don’t have any more questions, do you have anything else that you’d like to add?”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “I’d just like to add that I’ve been using the Savant now for approximately ten months, and we’ve been very impressed with it. It’s a very strong computer platform that seems to have a lot of potential applications for sinus surgery and other types of surgery as well.”

Barbara Nesbitt: “Thank you much, Dr. Citardi.”

Dr. Martin Citardi: “Thank you.”

For more information on CBYON and the Savant Image Guidance System please read the press release.