A catheterization-training simulator based on a fast multigrid solver.

A VR-based simulator helps trainees develop skills for catheterization, a fundamental but difficult procedure in vascular interventional radiology. A deformable model simulates the complicated behavior of guide wires and catheters, using the principle of minimum total potential energy. A fast, stable multigrid solver ensures realistic simulation and real-time interaction. In addition, the system employs geometrically and topologically accurate vascular models based on improved parallel-transport frames, and it implements efficient collision detection. Experiments evaluated the method's stability, the solver's execution time, how well the simulation preserved the catheter's curved tip, and the catheter deformation's realism. An empirical study based on a typical selective-catheterization procedure assessed the system's feasibility and effectiveness.