Surgem: Next Generation CAD Tools for Interactive Patient-Specific Surgical Planning and Hemodynamic Analysis

Abstract

The first version of an anatomy editing/surgical planning tool targeting anatomical complexity and patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is presented. Novel shape editing concepts and human-shape interaction (HSI) technologies have been combined to facilitate interactive shape alterations and grid generation. At a surgery planning phase, these tools are applied to design and evaluate possible modifications of patient-specific anatomies of congenital heart defects involving complex geometric topologies and tortuous three-dimensional blood flow pathways with multiple inlets and outlets. These tools make it possible to freely deform the lumen surface and to bend and position baffles through real-time, direct manipulation of the three-dimensional (3D) models with both hands, thus eliminating the tedious and time-consuming phase of entering the desired geometry using traditional computer-aided design (CAD) systems. The 3D models of the modified anatomy are seamlessly exported and meshed for CFD analysis. The combined design/analysis cycle is used for comparing and optimizing surgical plans. By reducing the cost of scale patient-specific shape design and analysis, these tools make it possible to envision large clinical studies for validating the predictive value of CFD simulations in surgery planning.