502 Modeling of the spinal structure for the simulation of scoliosis surgery
Details
The FEM (Finite Element Method) model to simulate the reconstructive surgery of scoliosis from the point of structure mechanics was developed. The method to obtain the personal data of each vertebral geometry and configuration from the CT image of the patient was investigated. Each vertebral FEM model representing any vertebral level including lumbar and thoracic spines is composed of 100 nodal points and 34 solid elements. The connective structure between vertebrae is formed by nonlinear springs that represent their joint structures including facet joints, intervertebral discs and ligaments. The developed spinal model is composed of solid elements for vertebrae, shell element for rib, sternum, cartilage and nonlinear spring elements for connective structures. The operation simulation of three scoliosis patients was done and the Cobb angles between X-ray photo and the model of them were compared. The result shows that the average of difference of their Cobb angles between them was 7.0 (SD:3.8) degrees in post-operation.
