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Influence of Geometry and Mechanical Properties on the Accuracy of Patient-Specific Simulation of Women Pelvic Floor

  • Computational Biomechanics for Patient-Specific Applications
  • Published:
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Abstract

The woman pelvic system involves multiple organs, muscles, ligaments, and fasciae where different pathologies may occur. Here we are most interested in abnormal mobility, often caused by complex and not fully understood mechanisms. Computer simulation and modeling using the finite element (FE) method are the tools helping to better understand the pathological mobility, but of course patient-specific models are required to make contribution to patient care. These models require a good representation of the pelvic system geometry, information on the material properties, boundary conditions and loading. In this contribution we focus on the relative influence of the inaccuracies in geometry description and of uncertainty of patient-specific material properties of soft connective tissues. We conducted a comparative study using several constitutive behavior laws and variations in geometry description resulting from the imprecision of clinical imaging and image analysis. We find that geometry seems to have the dominant effect on the pelvic organ mobility simulation results. Provided that proper finite deformation non-linear FE solution procedures are used, the influence of the functional form of the constitutive law might be for practical purposes negligible. These last findings confirm similar results from the fields of modeling neurosurgery and abdominal aortic aneurysms.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the support of UNF3S (Online French-Speaking University for Health and Sport Sciences). Karol Miller acknowledges the financial support of FNR Luxembourg Intermobility Program.

Conflicts of interest

None.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecole Centrale de Lille (ECLille), 59650, Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France

    Olivier Mayeur, Jean-François Witz, Pauline Lecomte & Mathias Brieu

  2. LML, CNRS UMR 8107, 59650, Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France

    Jean-François Witz, Pauline Lecomte, Mathias Brieu & Michel Cosson

  3. CHRU, Jeanne de Flandres, 59000, Lille, France

    Olivier Mayeur & Michel Cosson

  4. Intelligent Systems for Medicine Laboratory, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia

    Karol Miller

Authors
  1. Olivier Mayeur
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  2. Jean-François Witz
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  3. Pauline Lecomte
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  4. Mathias Brieu
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  5. Michel Cosson
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  6. Karol Miller
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mathias Brieu.

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Associate Editor K. A. Athanasiou oversaw the review of this article.

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Mayeur, O., Witz, JF., Lecomte, P. et al. Influence of Geometry and Mechanical Properties on the Accuracy of Patient-Specific Simulation of Women Pelvic Floor. Ann Biomed Eng 44, 202–212 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-015-1401-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-015-1401-9

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