Experimental and numerical study of the relaxation behavior of facial soft tissue

Challenges in computational simulation of the mechanical behavior of soft tissues and organs for clinical applications are related to the reliability of the models with respect to the anatomy, the mechanical interactions between different tissues, and the non linear (time dependent) force deformation characteristics of soft biological materials. In this paper a 3D finite element model of the face and neck, which has applications in surgical devices optimization and surgery planning, is presented. Bones, muscles, skin, fat, and superficial muscoloaponeurotic system (SMAS) were reconstructed from magnetic resonance images and their shape, constraints and interactions have been modeled according to anatomical, plastic and reconstructive surgery literature. Non linear time dependent constitutive equations are implemented in the numerical model, based on the Rubin-Bodner model. For the present calculations a simplified hyperelastic formulation has been used. The corresponding model parameters were selected according to previous work with mechanical measurements ex vivo on facial soft tissue. For determination of model parameters, in particular the ones corresponding to the time dependent behavior, an instrument for measuring the relaxation behavior of the face tissue in vivo was developed. The experimental set-up is described and results are presented for tests performed on different locations of the face (jaw, mid-face, parotid regions) and neck. The measured "long term" reaction force of the facial soft tissue is compared to numerical results.