Simulations of silicone oil filling for use in retinal detachment surgery

With advancements in modern medical technology, the treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment has been receiving increasing attention. Globally, vitrectomy combined with intraocular silicone oil tamponade has been widely used for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, and the surgical equipment and technology required are increasingly advanced. In such an operation, it is crucial to understand how to achieve the best therapeutic effect with the minimum amount of silicone oil tamponade so as to reduce surgical complications. Traditional medical methods cannot effectively evaluate the effect of different silicone oil dosages on retinal hole attachment. Aiming at this concern, the current study proposed a silicone oil tamponade simulation method for retinal detachment surgery. Based on physical modeling and computer numerical discretization techniques, the intraocular force and silicone oil filling state were analyzed. Three-dimensional modeling and simulation of the silicone tamponade process were then conducted and visualized to help with medical decision-making. First, the human eyeball and surgical instruments were modeled and sampled to simulate the eyeball state during the operation. Second, based on differences in density, viscosity coefficient, and surface tension between water and silicone oil, the two-phase flow and water‒silicone oil interaction were simulated. Finally, the solid‒liquid interaction model was constructed to assess the movement and injection process of multiphase liquid in the eyeball. The experimental results show that this method can well present the interaction effect of multiphase fluid movement in the eyeball; understand effects such as surface tension, solid–liquid coupling, liquid stratification, and connector effect; and realize the simulation of the silicone oil injection and water drainage processes through the catheter in the intraocular cavity, which provides an effective way to predict the intraocular state after silicone oil filling and assists doctors in the field of operation process planning and effect prediction.