Automating Patient-Specific Model Development

描述(申请人提供)：肌肉骨骼有限元(FE)分析是骨科相关研究的宝贵工具。虽然它提供了重要的生物力学洞察力，但与建模人体复杂几何结构相关的要求往往限制了它的应用。通常令人望而却步的模型开发时间与处理医学图像数据集以识别感兴趣的不同解剖结构所需的时间进一步复杂化。然而，这一过程是模型开发的必要的预处理步骤。因此，文献中报道的大多数分析都是指“平均”的骨骼几何。 我们研究计划的主要目标是开发一个强大的软件包(IA-FEMESH)来自动化患者特定有限元(FE)模型的开发。为了实现这一目标，我们建议融合独特的技术，以自动化图像数据集分割、材料属性提取和分配以及直接开发有限元模型(自动网格化)。虽然将使用感兴趣的骨骼的直接扫描来验证自动图像分割例程，但实验身体接触应力测量将提供验证FE接触配方的标准。此外，我们的软件包生成的有限元模型将与通过商业前处理程序包创建的相同骨骼(S)的模型进行比较。虽然手/手腕代表了本申请中提出的主要感兴趣的结构，但这些工具将被推广到许多矫形应用中。除了建立上述软件包，拟议的项目最终将产生上肢不同关节(即手)的特定样本有限元模型。这样的模型将使我们能够提供有关负荷转移的信息，正常关节的特征，并在未来证明，例如，韧带不稳定，创伤后对齐不良，骨折，和各种外科手术的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Musculoskeletal finite element (FE) analysis is an invaluable tool in orthopaedic-related research. While it has provided significant biomechanical insight, the demands associated with modeling the geometrically complex structures of the human body often limit its utility. The often prohibitive amount of model development time is further compounded by the time required to process medical image datasets to identify the distinct anatomical structures of interest. Yet this process is a necessary preprocessing step for model development. As a result, most of the analyses reported in the literature refer to 'average' bone geometry. The broad objective of our research plan is to develop a robust software package (IA-FEMESH) to automate the development of patient-specific finite element (FE) models. In pursuit of this objective we propose to merge unique technologies to automate image dataset segmentation; material property extraction and assignment; and direct FE model development (automated meshing). While direct scanning of the bones of interest will be used to validate the automated image segmentation routines, experimental cadaveric contact stress measurements will provide a standard against which to validate the FE contact formulations. Furthermore, the FE models generated by our software package will be compared to models of the same bone(s) created via a commercial pre-processing package. While the hand/wrist represents the primary structures of interest proposed in this application, the tools will be generalized to be used in many orthopaedic applications. In addition to establishing the aforementioned software package, the proposed project will ultimately yield specimen specific FE models of the various joints of the upper extremity, namely the hand. Such models will position us to provide information about the load transfer, characteristics of the normal joints and in the future to demonstrate, for example, the effects of ligamentous instabilities, posttraumatic malalignments, fractures, and various surgical procedures.