Progressive Cutting with Minimal New Element Creation of Soft Tissue Models for Interactive Surgical Simulation

Abstract

This thesis deals with the modification of finite element models used in surgical simulation. Surgical simulation offers the promise of enhanced medical training and education. It can provide a more realistic learning environment than many of the methodologies employed today while reducing costs. It also increases the variability of pathologies presented to the student, and can be used for continuing medical education. Simulators can also gain a place in the medical practice, to rehearse difficult or uncommon procedures. While a good deal of work has been done on the underlying soft tissue simulation, cutting and interacting with the model has been relatively ignored. In this thesis, we present a method for simulating cutting of soft tissue within a physically based surgical simulator. The technique works on subdividing tetrahedral meshes while impacting model and simulator efficiency as little as possible. Model stability is addresses so that the new, cut, model does not cause the simulation to become unstable. Also, within the framework the interactive simulator demonstrated, the user is able to palpate, grasp, and puncture the model.