A three-dimensional large deformation model for soft tissue using meshless method

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Mechanics
• Surgical Simulation

Background:

• Accurate modeling of soft tissue deformation is crucial for developing effective surgical simulators.
• Traditional methods like the Finite Element Method (FEM) struggle with precision during large deformations.
• Recent research focuses on advanced computational techniques to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate an innovative meshless method for simulating soft tissue deformation.
• To assess the accuracy and applicability of this method, particularly for large deformations.
• To evaluate its potential for enhancing the realism and effectiveness of surgical simulators.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a high-precision meshless simulation method.
• Application of the method to model 2D beams and 3D cubes.
• Experimental verification using silicone-gel samples to confirm simulation accuracy.

Main Results:

• The meshless method demonstrated superior accuracy compared to FEM in simulating large deformations for both 2D and 3D models.
• Successful application of the method to model complex biological tissues, including human organs like the liver and gallbladder.
• Validation of the method's correctness through experimental data.

Conclusions:

• The proposed meshless model offers a promising blend of accuracy and computational speed.
• Its high performance in large deformation scenarios makes it suitable for integration into surgical simulators.
• This advancement has the potential to significantly improve training and planning in surgical procedures.