3D reconstruction of pelvic floor for numerical simulation purpose

Abstract

Female pelvic floor disorders (stress urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse) affect approximately 60% of woman over 60 years old [1]. The real geometry and architecture of female pelvic floor and connective tissues are complex and difficult to visualize from two-dimensional (2D) images. To facilitate the understanding of pelvic floor geometry, in this work 3D models were building. A 3D helpful model of pelvic floor could aid the understanding of the anatomy and physiology of this complex part of the female body. These models were constructed from 2D medical images, obtained by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The purpose of this study was to help the identification of pelvic disorders by using MRI scans and reconstructed 3D models. Three women were studied. Pelvic organs and their structures were manually segmented, namely: bladder, urethra, vagina, levator ani (puborectalis, iliococcygeus and coccygeus), obturator internus and pubic bone. 3D models of female pelvic floor were created from a combination between the individual organs, muscles and bones. Three 3D model created were compared and differences were noted between the pelvic floor 3D model of a woman with disorders and the 3D models without disorders.