Real-time guidewire simulation in complex vascular models

The base of all training in interventional radiology aims at the development of the core skills in manipulating the instruments. Computer simulators are emerging to help in this task. This paper extends our previous framework with more realistic instrument behaviour and more complex vascular models. The instrument is modelled as a hybrid mass-spring particle system while the vasculature is a triangulated surface mesh segmented from patient data sets. A specially designed commercial haptic device allows the trainee to use real instruments to guide the simulation through the vasculature selected from a database of 23 different patients. A new collision detection algorithm allows an efficient computation of the contacts, therefore leaving more time to deal with the collision response for a realistic simulation in real time. The behaviour of our simulated instruments has been visually compared with the real ones and assessed by experienced interventional radiologists. Preliminary results show close correlations and a realistic behaviour.