Modeling and Simulation

Patient-specific models are playing an increasing role in all the steps of patient treatment, from diagnosis, planning, treatment delivery, evaluation, and physician training. This chapter describes the state of the art in the generation and use of patient-specific models for image-guided therapy. It begins by defining what is a model and then describes the main methods for the generation of geometric models of patient anatomy and pathologies: contour- and surface-based reconstruction, tubular structures reconstruction, and deformable models. The emerging field of functional modeling and its main uses in biomechanical, cardiac, and brain modeling are then presented. The chapter concludes with a description of patient-specific simulation and its role in physician training.