Towards a soft-tissue cutting simulator using the cohesive zone approach

Advancements in computational techniques have provided the ability to utilize detailed models in surgical training systems. The development of more complicated procedures coupled with reduced training time for medical residents has driven the need for accurate reality-based medical simulators. Extensive research has been conducted in the area of modeling general deformation of biological tissue; however few studies have focused on the physical properties of specific tool tissue interactions such as cutting. This paper presents a fracture mechanics based method to model the scalpel cutting of porcine liver by implementing a cohesive zone approach. Using in vivo cutting data, the parameters of the cohesive zone model are defined for the scalpel cutting process of soft biological tissues.