Real-time elastic deformations of soft tissues for surgery simulation

TLDR

The physical model is based on elasticity theory linking the shape of deformable bodies to the forces causing deformation. The study presents a novel surgery‑simulation method that builds a volumetric model from medical images and models elastic deformations. Real‑time deformation is achieved by preprocessing elementary deformations from finite‑element analysis within the volumetric model. The simulator, equipped with force feedback and collision detection, runs in real time on a high‑resolution liver model.

Abstract

We describe a novel method for surgery simulation including a volumetric model built from medical images and an elastic modeling of the deformations. The physical model is based on elasticity theory which suitably links the shape of deformable bodies and the forces associated with the deformation. A real time computation of the deformation is possible thanks to a preprocessing of elementary deformations derived from a finite element method. This method has been implemented in a system including a force feedback device and a collision detection algorithm. The simulator works in real time with a high resolution liver model.