Medical imaging genesis for finite element-based mandibular surgical planning in the pediatric subject

A CT imaging system has been used to develop a finite element (FE) model of the child-specific mandible. Correspondingly, a procedure to generate FE models from digital image data has also been developed. The geometric models are extracted from the CT scan data of children using ANALYZE AVW version 3.0, and then reviewed, edited and meshed using the preprocessor of DEFORM 3D version 6.0. By utilizing a simplified material model and boundary conditions, detailed convergence tests were carried out using ABAQUS/STANDARD version 6.1. Test results show that over 52,592 linear tetrahedral elements or 37,062 degrees of freedom (DOF) are needed to model a child-specific mandible with reasonable accuracy. Results of the test series indicate that the surgical planning system is appropriate for further clinical implementation.