Latest in Sinus Surgery Technology Comes Offered at Valley General Hospital

Monroe, WA –According to the National Center for Disease Statistics, more than 37 million Americans suffer each year from chronic sinusitis, an inflammation or infection that has become the nation’s most common long-term disease. Some 20 percent of those have a case severe enough to warrant surgery.

Dr. James Erhardt, an ENT surgeon at Valley General Hospital, is using new state-of-the-art equipment in the operating room that allows him to perform more difficult surgeries, safer, and with fewer complications.

Valley General Hospital is the only hospital in Snohomish County with the Landmarx ENT Image Guidance System. “The new technology allows me to gain a 3D appreciation for exactly where I am at (while performing surgery), which is a major safety benefit,” states Erhardt.

Dr. Erhardt is pleased to see his patients benefit from this technology. “Many patients resist getting surgery for sinusitis because of the possible complications that can come from it. For most of my patients, surgery should be minimally uncomfortable and with only minor disruption of their routine. Utilization of the Image Guidance System makes the surgery potentially even less invasive. The added safety is particularly helpful in patients who have extensive sinus disease, usual anatomy, or have had previous sinus surgery.”

The new Image Guidance System is another technology leap forward for Valley General Hospital. Within the last few years VGH has made upgrades in our diagnostic imaging including: CT, MRI and Nuclear Medicine.

“It’s difficult and unusual for a smaller hospital to get behind and make the financial investment to offer the specialty service like the Landmarx System for its patients – many would assume you’d be able to find this same equipment being used at much larger hospitals in the area. We are very lucky in East Snohomish County,” states Dr. Erhardt. “Valley General is very committed to offering our patients the best in care and the latest in technology.”

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