Nucleus pulposus clamping procedures based on optimized material point method for surgical simulation systems

Clamping and removal of the nucleus pulposus (NP) are critical operations during transforaminal endoscopic lumbar discectomy. To meet the challenge of simulating the NP in real-time for better training output, an improved material point method is proposed to represent the physical properties of the NP and compute its deformation in real time. Corresponding volume rendering of the NP and its hosting bones are also presented. The virtual operation procedures are then implemented into a training prototype and subsequently tested through simulation experiments and subjective evaluation. The results have demonstrated the feasibility of the approach.