Three dimentional reconstruction of subcutaneous tissue

3D geometrical and biomechanical modelling of the skin/subcutaneous complex

In collaboration with the Department of Plastic Pediatric Surgery and the Dept. of Plastic Surgery, Burns and Wound Healing of the University Hospital Lapyeronie of Montpellier, France.
The aim of this project is to build a 3D geometric and mechanical model of the skin/subcutaneous complex (SSC) which could be adapted to the different parts of the body and to the morphological parameters of the patient. Initially, a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging study on subcutaneous tissue showed the existence of a common pattern of organization of the SSC in the various parts of the body studied [1]. Three-dimensional reconstructions were obtained by post-processing the MRI images and gave parameters which were related to the different localizations and morphologies of the human body. We subsequently proposed a three-dimensional geometrical and biomechanical model which combines volume, membranous and unidimensional models [2]. This model is adjusted to the human body by using the measured parameters. The complex internal structure composed of fat lobules is automatically created by an innovative procedural process. We performed several preliminary experiments which showed that this hybrid method can realistically model some geometrical and physical behaviors, such as that of cellulite. We plan to use this method for simulation and planning of fat injection surgical procedures.
[1] C. Herlin, A. Chica-Rosa, G. Subsol, B. Gilles, F. Macri, J.P. Beregi, G. Captier. "Three-dimensional study of the skin/subcutaneous complex using in vivo whole body 3 Tesla MRI: review of the literature and confirmation of a generic pattern of organisation". Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, Vol. 37, Issue 7, p. 731-741, September 2015.
[2] C. Herlin, B. Gilles, G. Subsol, G. Captier. "Generic 3D Geometrical and Mechanical Modeling of the Skin/Subcutaneous Complex by a Procedural Hybrid Method". 6th International Symposium on Biomedical Simulation, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 8789, p. 173-181, Springer, Strasbourg (France), October 2014. Best Paper Award.