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Djenane C. Pamplona

Professor, Civil Engineering, PUC-Rio

The Use of Finite Elements in Surgical Procedures

The stress models of surgical procedures can give very important  hints to plastic surgeons. This research focuses the models of two surgical procedures for the breasts: reduction and reconstruction after radical mastectomy. To be able to have a realistic model, it is necessary to have compatible viscoelastic relations and constants which describe the mechanics of the involved soft tissue. Monitoring the surgery of skin expansion was a fundamental step to propose meaningful viscoelastic constants of the skin.