Knee surgery assistance: patient model construction, motion simulation, and biomechanical visualization

The authors present a new system that integrates computer graphics, physics-based modeling, and interactive visualization to assist knee study and surgical operation. First, they discuss generating patient-specific three-dimensional (3-D) knee models from patient's magnetic resonance images (MRIs). The 3-D model is obtained by deforming a reference model to match the MRI dataset. Second, the authors present simulating knee motion that visualizes patient-specific motion data on the patient-specific knee model. Third, the authors introduce visualizing biomechanical information on a patient-specific model. The focus is on visualizing contact area, contact forces, and menisci deformation. Traditional methods have difficulty in visualizing knee contact area without using invasive methods. The approach presented here provides an alternative of visualizing the knee contact area and forces without any risk to the patient. Finally, a virtual surgery can be performed. The constructed 3-D knee model is the basis of motion simulation, biomechanical visualization, and virtual surgery. Knee motion simulation determines the knee rotation angles as well as knee contact points. These parameters are used to solve the biomechanical model. The authors' results integrate 3-D construction, motion simulation, and biomechanical visualization into one system. Overall, the methodologies here are useful elements for future virtual medical systems where all the components of visualization, automated model generation and surgery simulation come together.