title: Real-time finite element modeling for surgery simulation: an application to virtual suturing.
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.
authors.affiliation: Mimic Technologies Inc., 5304 Wallingford Avenue N., Seattle, WA 98103, USA. jeff@mimic.ws
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Berkley
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Turkiyyah
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ganter
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weghorst
mesh_terms: D003196:Computer Graphics; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003199:Computer Systems; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D013536:Suture Techniques; D014584:User-Computer Interface