A Method for Creating a 3D Subarachnoid Space Model for Neurosurgery Simulation

Abstract

Neurosurgical procedures require utmost precision and skill to preserve cerebral vessels during surgery. Unfortunately, inexperienced physicians are susceptible to failure in this regard due to the delicate nature of the subarachnoid space where these vessels are located. The most critical step in cerebral vessel preservation is to apply appropriate tension to the arachnoid membrane. Using a neurosurgery simulator is expected to help train vessel preservation techniques. However, previous surgical simulators often did not consider the subarachnoid space due to the challenges involved in creating 3D models of this complex and intricate structure. To address this challenge, a method for creating a brain model that includes the subarachnoid space was proposed. In the proposed model, a brain and vessel model created from medical images of a patient is wrapped in a soft cloth-like material by conducting a simulation, and the molded cloth is used as an arachnoid model. For the intricate nature of arachnoid trabeculae, characterized by an indeterminate number and diverse shapes, adjacent trabeculae are united into a bundle and approximated as a single cylinder. The arachnoid trabecular models randomly place in the subarachnoid space. The efficacy of this approach in generating the arachnoid trabecular model has been substantiated through simulation-based verification. Furthermore, a calculation method based on the finite element method for neurosurgery simulation using the created subarachnoid space model is described, and a simulation of pulling the arachnoid is performed. This simulation demonstrated the potential to provide operators with an experience of the force required to pull the arachnoid membrane.