Pathway and workspace study of Endonasal Endoscopic Transsphenoidal (EET) approach in 80 cadavers

Abstract

© 2018 The Authors Background: The Endonasal Endoscopic Transsphenoidal Surgery (EETS) is used to remove the sellar lesion. Because of the unique location of the lesion, a subtle deviation of tools may result in severe complications. The better coordination between workspace and working environment is vital. The aim of this study is to determine the pathways and workspace utilized in EETS. In addition, this result will be used to develop the robotic assisted technology model further. Methods: Pathway and workspace details were studied in 80 soft cadavers and dissections were performed in a stepwise manner to simulate EETS. The optical tracking system was used to collect data. MATLAB programming was applied to analyze workspace and pathway. The descriptive data analysis was presented as percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Results: The amplitude of P2S vectors or the length of the EETS workspace was around 70–75 mm. EETS workspace was found to be a cylindrical shape, narrow diameter in the middle with an average volume of 15.97 cm 3 , the average length of 53.9 mm and average widest width of 19.08 mm. Conclusion: This study presents characteristics of EETS pathway and workspace. Detailed knowledge of the EETS pathway and workspace will facilitate understanding for further robotic research.