Personalization of cubic Hermite meshes for efficient biomechanical simulations

Med Image Comput Comput Assist Interv. 2010;13(Pt 2):380-7. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-15745-5_47.

Abstract

Cubic Hermite meshes provide an efficient representation of anatomy, and are useful for simulating soft tissue mechanics. However, their personalization can be a complex, time consuming and labour-intensive process. This paper presents a method based on image registration and using an existing template for deriving a patient-specific cubic Hermite mesh. Its key contribution is a solution to customise a Hermite continuous description of a shape with the use of a discrete warping field. Fitting accuracy is first tested and quantified against an analytical ground truth solution. To then demonstrate its clinical utility, a generic cubic Hermite heart ventricular model is personalized to the anatomy of a patient, and its mechanical stability is successfully tested. The method achieves an easy, fast and accurate personalization of cubic Hermite meshes, constituting a crucial step for the clinical adoption of physiological simulations.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Computer Simulation
  • Finite Element Analysis
  • Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Imaging, Three-Dimensional / methods*
  • Models, Anatomic*
  • Models, Biological*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity