Simulation of Surgical Cutting in Deformable Bodies using a Game Engine

Simulators as a training tool for surgeons are becoming more important with the increase of minimally invasive surgery and a wish to limit training on animals, especially in the field of robotic surgery. Accessibility to surgery simulators is currently limited and the ability to cut is restricted. This paper presents a feasibility study for implementing academic methods in a low-cost game engine. Expanding on previous work, a lowcost surgery simulator is implemented to adress these issues. We focus on the implementation of cutting in deformable objects in a game engine. The deformable objects are implemented using a spring mass model combined with a volumetric tetrahedral mesh. The cutting algorithm is semi-progressive and allows for arbitrary cuts in the deformable objects. The prototype was evaluated by a chief surgeon with expertise in robot surgery and experience with commercial simulators. The low-cost prototype presents a step towards robotic surgery simulators that are able to simulate complete surgical procedures.)