Geometric Modelling of Patient-Specific Hepatic Structures Using Cubic Hermite Elements

In this paper we use cubic Hermite elements to represent hepatic structures that are digitised from a computed tomography angiography (CTA) image. 1D, 2D and 3D linear elements are first created for hepatic vasculature, surface and parenchyma, respectively. Cubic Hermite elements are then generated by evaluating and updating the nodal derivatives of the corresponding linear elements. We show that the main features of the liver can be captured by a very small number of cubic Hermite elements (e.g., 55 elements for the liver volume), and propose potential applications of these elements in biomechanical modelling of the liver.