OTOLARYNGOLOGY IN THE INFORMATION AGE - ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES FOR THEFUTURE OF SURGERY

Enabling technologies for the future, whether exemplified by endoscopi c, minimally invasive, or microdexterity systems or surgical and nonsu rgical image-guided procedures, continue with an evolution so rapid th at before one change has been accepted and perfected, another even mor e dramatic change promises to replace it. These information-based surg ical and procedural interventions are just now becoming accepted stand ards of surgical, radiologic, and medical practice, and yet the promis e of more advanced technologies blurs even these new boundaries, const antly redefining the concept of ''surgery.'' It is essential that otol aryngologists, as part of the broader spectrum of physicians, understa nd these changes and prepare to adapt and improve each and every one o f their technical and cognitive skills.