Computer Facial Surgery Simulation System using Finite Element Modeling

• Main Authors: Sheng-Jung Hu, 胡勝容
• Other Authors: Yung-Nien Sun
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2000
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/86478917300214128400

碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 資訊工程研究所 === 88 === With the great advancement in economics and living standard, more and more people wish to improve their appearance and body shapes for better life and confidence. Therefore, if somebody is unsatisfied with his look, he now may change it by aesthetic surgery. Also, in some accidents, people may suffer from serious injury including deformation, break, or disappearance in the skull. It is the only way to repair or restore their facial looks with surgical operations. Although facial surgery is complex, it usually achieves successful results in clinics. However, patients are hardly confident with the operations before surgery. It is because both patient and surgeon may not be so confident with the surgical outcome, which is, to some extent, unpredictable. A three-dimensional (3D) surgical simulation system which predicts the surgical results from the patient’s CT volume data, certainly will help both patient and doctor to have better expectation and confidence on the surgery. In fact, it is also inconvenient and unrealistic for a doctor to predict surgical progress and results solely from 2D images. Image processing, graphics, and vision have made greatly progresses in recent years. In this thesis, we have designed and developed a new 3D visual system for visualizing the predicted results in surgical planning. The general steps adopted in this system include data acquisition, image preprocessing, 3D reconstruction, simulation, and visualization. This system can fairly predict the surgical results before the surgery is actually carried out. Finite element model has been widely used to resolve structure computation problems in many engineering applications. For surgical simulation, we utilize the isoparametric hexahedron finite element model to represent the facial structure manipulated during the surgical operation. Isoparametric hexahedron element is a more flexible and accurate element type than the tetrahedron one, which was used for surgical simulation in other literature. In the later chapters, we will illustrate the theoretical development and processing steps adopted in a common FEM model for surgical simulation. It is our goal to provide predictions on the surgical progress and results as closely to the reality as possible.