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Thoracic Diaphragm

Author: Daniel Simões Lopes

Date: 2008

Description: The thoracic diaphragm is a thin, flat, and modified half-dome of musculofibrous tissue that separates the abdominal and thoracic cavities. Directly linked to respiration, the diaphragm is a skeletal muscle that contracts during inspiration, whereas expiration is generally a passive process. A number of different structures cross the diaphragm, but three distinct apertures allow the passage of the aorta, esophagus, and vena cava. Using image data obtained from the Visible Human Project of the 59 year old female cadaver, the 3-D geometry of the diaphragm is reconstructed and, from the corresponding solid model, a shell finite element mesh is generated which is used to perform structural analyses.

Source: M.P.M. Pato, N.G.S. Santos, E.B. Pires, P. Areias, M. de Carvalho, S. Pinto, D.S. Lopes, Finite element simulations of the deformation of the diaphragmatic floor in healthy and pathological conditions, In: Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium of Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, Valencia, Spain, 2010

 

Image and caption provided by: Daniel Simões Lopes, ICIST/IST-TULisbon

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Uploaded on February 24, 2010
Taken on February 24, 2010