Real-time surgical simulation using a lattice-continuum approach

Surgery is a complex practice whose positive outcome relies heavily on the experience of surgeons and therefore involves a number of risks. Computer-based simulation is a strong candidate for surgical training, guidance and surgical robotics.
Cutting, tearing, needle insertion and similar operations which require topological changes, contact, and whose outcome is significantly affected by the microstructure of the material (discontinuities, holes, interfaces) remain some of the most difficult surgical gestures to simulate.
One of the difficulties emanates from the  requirement to handle propagating discontinuities as well as the micro or meso structure of the material being cut.
We are interested in the development of a numerical tool capable of the interactive (50Hz) simulation of surgical cutting using a multi-domain lattice-continuum approach. Around the cutting region, a mesoscopic discrete lattice approach suitable for initiation of cuts and subsequent tears is used. The remaining regions can be modeled by a continuum approach or through model reduction approaches based on pre computations.
The algorithms are implemented within the SOFA framework which is  targets  real-time computations, with an emphasis on medical simulation and the work is being performed in collaboration with the group of Dr Hadrien Courtecuisse and Stéphane Cotin.