Modeling and Visualization of Cardiovascular Systems

Modeling complex organs, such as the human heart, requires a detailed understanding of the geometric and mechanical properties of that organ. Similarly, the model is only as accurate as the precision of the underlying properties allow. Hence, it is of great importance that accurate measurements of the geometric configuration are available. This paper describes the different steps that are necessary for creating and visualizing such a vascular model, ranging from determining a basic geometric model, gathering statistical data necessary to extend an existing model up to the visualization of the resulting large-scale vascular models. 1998 ACM Subject Classification I.3.8 Applications, J.3 Life and Medical Sciences