MUSC’s Sinus and Allergy Center designated a National Center of Excellence

Lowcountry sinus sufferers could benefit from technology’s newest equipment and software. It is arriving at the Medical University of South Carolina because MUSC’s Sinus and Allergy Center has been designated a National Center of Excellence.

MUSC will get about $1.2 million in software and devices, some of which are not yet commercially available to other medical centers and patients, said Dr. Rodney Schlosser, head of the center.

From endoscopes and video monitors to powered soft-tissue shavers, the equipment from three international companies will allow specialists to perform cutting-edge surgery better than ever, he said. Computerized image guidance will use CT and MRI scans to show doctors a three-dimensional image as they operate.

The center will put new equipment to work teaching surgeons from around the country, said Schlosser, the only adult and pediatric sinus surgeon in the state who has advanced, or fellowship, training.

The international computerized image-guidance company BrainLAB, with headquarters in Munich, Germany, selected the MUSC sinus center as one of two National Centers of Excellence, Schlosser said. The other is at the University of North Carolina.

That designation places MUSC among the top sinus centers in the country, according to Mike Lobinsky, North American Business Development Manager for the firm.

“We are excited about the chance to work with Dr. Schlosser, one of the best trained sinus surgeons in the country, in order to develop cutting-edge technology and equipment,” Lobinsky said.

Patients already are benefiting from equipment that has arrived; more is due next spring after renovations are complete in the sinus lab. Surgeons will operate on benign and malignant tumors, defects such as intrusion of the brain into the sinus and sinusitis. Most all surgery for sinusitis can be done through the nose without any incisions, Schlosser said.