Development of a program for Scoliosis FE Model Automatic Generation

척추측만증 유한 요소 모델 자동 생성 프로그램 개발

Unexpected postoperative changes, such as growth in rib hump, has been occasionally reported after corrective surgery for scoliosis. However there has been experimental data for explanation of these changes, nor the suggestion of optimal correction method. This numerical study was designed to investigate the main correlating elements in operative kinematics with post-operative changes of vertebral rotation and rib cage deformation in the corrective surgery of scoliosis. To develop a scoliotic spine model automatically, a special program for converting normal spine model to scoliotic spine model was developed. A mathematical finite element model of normal spine including rib cage, sternum, both clavicles, and pelvis was developed with anatomical details. The skeletal deformity of scoliosis was reconstructed, by mapping the X-ray images of a scoliosis into this three dimensional normal spine and rib cage model. The geometric mapping was performed by translating and rotating the spinal colume with the amount analyzed from the digitized 12 built-in coordinate axes in each vertebral image. By utilizing this program, problems generated in mapping procedure such as facet joint overlapping, vertebral body deformity could be automatically resolved.