September 26, 2014 — Olympus announced it has reached a deal with Munich-based Brainlab to be the exclusive U.S. distributor of Kick Navigation. This agreement applies to the U.S. ENT market; Brainlab will maintain distribution for cross-disciplinary U.S. sales and all distribution outside the United States. The system, offering both optical and electromagnetic guidance options, offers surgeons advanced image enrichment and visualization for complex ENT surgeries.
Surgical navigation — also called image-guided surgery, computer-assisted surgery, or software-guided surgery — is similar in concept to a GPS system used in today's electronic devices. It is designed to continuously track surgical instrumentation relative to the patient's anatomy and display the relationship in real time on a monitor during surgery. Navigational assistance becomes critical during complex ENT surgeries where instruments are used in close proximity to the optical nerve, the brain and other sensitive tissues.
ENT Navigation
Navigation software is used to perform intricate surgeries such as sinus and intranasal surgeries, maxillary antrostomies, ethmoidectomy surgery, spheno-idotomies/sphenoid explorations, transphenoidal surgery, tumor resection, turbinate reduction, frontal and lateral skull base as well as pursue interdisciplinary approaches with neurosurgery or CMF departments.
According to Truven Health Analytics Inc., there were more than 4,900,000 sinus procedures performed in the United States in 2012, and more than 75,000 of those surgeries were performed using navigation software. [1]
Brainlab Kick Navigation Technology
Brainlab Kick features intuitive user interfaces, optimized workflows, advanced imaging and tailored software integration, which helps clinicians leverage available information. Brainlab ENT platforms are available with both optical (Kick) and electromagnetic (Kick EM) surgical instrument tracking technology. Both versions deliver advanced 3-D displays, user-friendly touch-based and touchless patient registration options and real-time virtual anatomy updates.
The Brainlab software offers universal tool integration and an open platform for surgeons to use the implant and tool manufacturers of their choice, but integrates seamlessly with the Olympus Diego Elite Multidebrider.
Olympus Diego Elite Multidebrider
The Olympus Olympus Diego Elite Multidebrideris the world's only ENT system to offer both monopolar and bipolar energy blades as an option to control bleeding — as well as traditional standard shaver blades — providing specialists with a full array of surgery options using just one device.
"The Olympus Diego Elite Multidebrider is ideal for all types of sinus and endoscopic skull base surgery. Its versatility reduces the need for instrument exchanges and allows me to get to the source of bleeding instantly," said Alexander Chiu, M.D., professor and chair, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Arizona and member of the Diego Elite evaluation team. "Now the ability to add Brainlab navigation to this system will enable surgeons to perform complex ENT surgeries while increasing procedural efficiency."
For more information: medical.olympusamerica.com/products/diego-elite-multidebrider
January 18, 2022 
