Simulating Surgery
Vascular surgeons plan most arterial bypass grafts on the basis of experience and intuition: only after surgery is there a way to tell whether an artery has been grafted to the place best suited to restore blood flow with minimal complications. But a group led by Charles Taylor, a Stanford University mechanical engineer who studies the human vascular system, is proving the power of an experimental software system that lets surgeons “sketch” several possibilities and preview the likely results before making a single incision.
The process starts with the collection of three-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance data that describe the patient’s anatomy-the exact shape of the coronary or carotid arteries, for instance-along with snapshots of blood flow at various points. Taylor’s software converts the anatomical data into a numerical “mesh” that represents the vessels, and surgeons use computer-aided design to add hypothetical bypass grafts to the mesh. Next, a supercomputer applies fluid dynamics equations to the original flow data, producing a color-coded simulation of blood coursing through the newly configured mesh. By using the simulations to test a variety of graft placements, surgeons can plan operations that don’t inadvertently create areas of low blood flow, a cause of clotting that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
In retrospective comparisons of data from two human patients who received bypasses in their lower extremities, the system’s suggested predictions “probably would have changed how the procedures were performed,” says Taylor, who hopes that within five years he’ll have made the simulations fast and reliable enough for regular use in surgical planning. He says that “10 or 20 years from now every single [cardiovascular] patient is going to be treated this way.”
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets
When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.
The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.
Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.
Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch
Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.