3D graphics in surgical simulation

The author discusses the development of an integrated system for the planning of maxillo-facial and cranial surgery. The system makes use of computer graphics to simulate surgical operations on the bone and produces a prediction of the effect of the surgery on the soft tissue and appearance of the face. The data required consists of a suitable set of contiguous X-ray CT slices which may be used in conjunction with measurements over the entire facial surface recorded by an optical surface scanner developed as part of the overall planning system. The main software suite provides for simulation and modelling, and this is supported by an extensive range of facilities for measuring external and internal anatomy, plotting sections and profiles and allowing quantitative postsurgical assessment. Facilities for long term follow up of changes in facial shape are provided. To achieve the response time required for its realistic use in a clinical environment the Medical Graphics workstation has been designed using Transputer technology and parallel programming. A high resolution graphics monitor is driven by a Transputer linked directly to the network of Transputers which constitute the graphics engine