Realistic simulation of surgical cutting of soft tissues in real time with force feedback

In this paper we present a geometrically efficient algorithm coupled with a physically based numerical scheme using a meshfree approach for the simulation of surgical procedures including surgical cutting in multimodal virtual environments. Progressive cutting, without the generation of new primitives, is achieved by snapping the nearest nodes to the interaction point between the cutting tool and the underlying polygon edge. The realism of the simulations is enhanced by employing a local subdivision algorithm in the vicinity of the tool-tissue interaction region and a cutting gutter to display the interior structure of the soft tissue as the cut opens up. A meshfree method is used to compute the deformation fields and interaction forces.