LinFlo-Net: A two-stage deep learning method to generate simulation ready meshes of the heart
This addresses the need for efficient, post-processing-free cardiac mesh generation for physics-based simulations, though it is incremental as it builds on prior deep learning deformation approaches.
The paper tackles the problem of automatically generating simulation-ready meshes of the human heart from patient imaging data, with a focus on thin-walled structures, and achieves comparable accuracy to state-of-the-art methods while producing meshes free of self-intersections.
We present a deep learning model to automatically generate computer models of the human heart from patient imaging data with an emphasis on its capability to generate thin-walled cardiac structures. Our method works by deforming a template mesh to fit the cardiac structures to the given image. Compared with prior deep learning methods that adopted this approach, our framework is designed to minimize mesh self-penetration, which typically arises when deforming surface meshes separated by small distances. We achieve this by using a two-stage diffeomorphic deformation process along with a novel loss function derived from the kinematics of motion that penalizes surface contact and interpenetration. Our model demonstrates comparable accuracy with state-of-the-art methods while additionally producing meshes free of self-intersections. The resultant meshes are readily usable in physics based simulation, minimizing the need for post-processing and cleanup.