Evaluating soft tissue simulation in maxillofacial surgery using preoperative and postoperative CT scans

One of the most important issue in soft tissue modeling is to assess the quality of the simulations. A validation protocol is presented based on two CT scans of the patient acquired before and after craniomaxillofacial surgery. The actual bone repositioning realized during the intervention are accurately measured and reproduced. An evaluation of the soft tissue deformation is then computed using a finite element model of the face. The simulations are therefore compared, qualitatively and quantitatively, with the actual outcome of the surgery. This protocol enables to rigorously evaluate different modeling methods, and to assess the clinical relevance of soft tissue simulation in maxillofacial surgery. D 2004 CARS and Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.