ABSTRACT
Real-time finite element (FE) analysis can be used to represent complex deformable geometries in virtual environments. The need for accurate surgical simulation has spurred the development of many of the new real-time FE methodologies that enable haptic support and real-time deformation. These techniques are computationally intensive and it has proved to be a challenge to achieve the high modeling resolutions required to accurately represent complex anatomies. The authors present a new real-time methodology based on linear FE analysis that is appropriate for a wide range of surgical simulation applications. A methodology is proposed that is characterized by high model resolution, low preprocessing time, unrestricted multipoint surface contact, and adjustable boundary conditions. These features make the method ideal for modeling suturing, which is an element common to almost every surgical procedure. This paper describes constraints in the context of a Suturing Simulator currently being developed by the authors.
Subject(s)
Computer Graphics , Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods , Models, Biological , Surgery, Computer-Assisted/methods , Suture Techniques , User-Computer Interface , Computer Simulation , Computer Systems , Finite Element Analysis , Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methodsABSTRACT
We have developed methods for rapidly generating 3d dermatologic datasets for use in education, training simulations and procedure planning. By compositing local surface features of cutaneous wounds onto patient images and 3d models, one can flexibly generate large patient variability from a small initial 3d library. The wound database is generated from clinically captured photographic images. The wound image is extracted from the image of the surrounding tissue. The 3d anatomy database is generated from MRI scans and from multiple photographic views. Extracted wound images can be moved rotated and scaled and blended in the final composite.
