Quantification of a 3D brain deformation model experiencing a temporal mass expansion

One of most challenging problems in the field of frameless stereotactic neurosurgery is accounting for intraoperative brain shift due to applied surgical loads. The authors have developed a 3-dimensional finite element model of the brain and have begun to quantify its predictive capability in an in vivo porcine model. Previous studies have shown that one can predict the average total displacement within 15% error using an intraparenchymal deformation source and the simplest of model assumptions. Here, the authors present preliminary results using a temporally expanding mass and show that they are capable of predicting an average total displacement to be better than 6.6% under similar model assumptions.