Time-Varying Coronary Artery Deformation: A Dynamic Skinning Framework for Surgical Training
This work addresses the need for realistic and interactive surgical simulators for medical training, though it is incremental as it builds on existing skinning methods with specific anatomical adaptations.
This study tackled the problem of simulating coronary artery deformation for surgical training by developing a dynamic skinning framework, achieving geometric accuracy with mean Hausdorff distance of 4.96 mm and real-time performance for interactive manipulation.
Purpose: This study proposes a novel anatomically-driven dynamic modeling framework for coronary arteries using skeletal skinning weights computation, aiming to achieve precise control over vessel deformation while maintaining real-time performance for surgical simulation applications. Methods: We developed a computational framework based on biharmonic energy minimization for skinning weight calculation, incorporating volumetric discretization through tetrahedral mesh generation. The method implements temporal sampling and interpolation for continuous vessel deformation throughout the cardiac cycle, with mechanical constraints and volume conservation enforcement. The framework was validated using clinical datasets from 5 patients, comparing interpolated deformation results against ground truth data obtained from frame-by-frame segmentation across cardiac phases. Results: The proposed framework effectively handled interactive vessel manipulation. Geometric accuracy evaluation showed mean Hausdorff distance of 4.96 +- 1.78 mm and mean surface distance of 1.78 +- 0.75 mm between interpolated meshes and ground truth models. The Branch Completeness Ratio achieved 1.82 +- 0.46, while Branch Continuity Score maintained 0.84 +- 0.06 (scale 0-1) across all datasets. The system demonstrated capability in supporting real-time guidewire-vessel collision detection and contrast medium flow simulation throughout the complete coronary tree structure. Conclusion: Our skinning weight-based methodology enhances model interactivity and applicability while maintaining geometric accuracy. The framework provides a more flexible technical foundation for virtual surgical training systems, demonstrating promising potential for both clinical practice and medical education applications. The code is available at https://github.com/ipoirot/DynamicArtery.