Simulating Complex Organ Interactions: Evaluation of a Soft Tissue Discrete Model

Computer assisted procedures play a key role in the improvement of surgical operations. The current techniques in simulation potentially lead to more accuracy, more safety and more predictability in the surgical room. Despite the important number of algorithms proposed for interactively modelling deformable objects such as soft human tissues, very few methods have attempted to simulate complex anatomical configurations. In this paper, we present a new approach for soft tissue modelling whose novelty is to integrate the interactions between a given soft organ and its surrounding organs. The proposed discrete model is compared to finite element method in order to quantify its performance and physical realism. The model is applied to the simulation of the prostate-bladder set.