Surgem: Next Generation CAD Tools for Interactive Patient- Specific Surgical Planning and Hemodynamic Analysis

The first version of an anatomy editing/surgical planning tool targeting anatomical complexity and patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis is presented. Novel shape editing concepts and human-shape interaction (HSI) technologies have been combined to facilitate interactive shape alterations and grid generation. At a surgery planning phase, these tools are applied to design and evaluate possible modifications of patient-specific anatomies of congenital heart defects involving complex geometric topologies and tortuous three-dimensional blood flow pathways with multiple inlets and outlets. These tools make it possible to freely deform the lumen surface and to bend and position baffles through real-time, direct manipulation of the three-dimensional (3D) models with both hands, thus eliminating the tedious and time-consuming phase of entering the desired geometry using traditional computer-aided design (CAD) systems. The 3D models of the modified anatomy are seamlessly exported and meshed for CFD analysis. The combined design/analysis cycle is used for comparing and optimizing surgical plans. By reducing the cost of scale patient-specific shape design and analysis, these tools make it possible to envision large clinical studies for validating the predictive value of CFD simulations in surgery planning. Fig. 1. Snapshots from the operation of interactive anatomical surface modification tool for surgical planning and communication. With the use of 3D magnetic trackers the inferior vena cava (IVC) of an intra-atrial model is modified (extension and bend) before exporting the modified geometry to the CFD analysis.