title: Non-linear modelling of breast tissue.
abstract: Previous approaches to modelling the large deformation of breast tissue, as occurs, e.g. in imaging using magnetic resonance imaging or mammography, include using linear elasticity and pseudo-non-linear elasticity, in which case the non-linear deformation is approximated by a series of small linear isotropic deformations, with the (constant) Young's modulus of each linear deformation an exponential function of the total non-linear strain. In this paper, these two approaches are compared to the solution of the full non-linear elastic problem for tissue with an exponential relationship between stress and strain. Having formulated each model and related the coefficients between the models, numerical simulations are performed on a block of incompressible material. These demonstrate that the simpler models may not be appropriate even in the case of modelling deformations of the human breast under gravity.
authors: Oxford University Computing Laboratory, Wolfson Building, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QD, UK. jonathan.whiteley@comlab.ox.ac.uk
authors: Jonathan P
authors: JP
authors: Whiteley
authors: David J
authors: DJ
authors: Gavaghan
authors: S Jonathan
authors: SJ
authors: Chapman
authors: J Michael
authors: JM
authors: Brady
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D006112:Gravitation; D006801:Humans; D018471:Hypergravity; D008954:Models, Biological; D013046:Specific Gravity; D013314:Stress, Mechanical