Prediction of subdural haematoma based on a 3D finite element human head model Online publication date: Thu, 16-Apr-2009
by Shamik Sarkar, Amit Roychowdhury, Ujjalbhanu Ghosh
International Journal of Vehicle Safety (IJVS), Vol. 3, No. 3, 2008
Abstract: Subdural haematoma (SDH) is a very common injury associated with in-house as well as traffic accidents. A high level of relative motion between the skull and the brain causes laceration in the cerebral bridging veins followed by acute SDH. This article describes finite element-based simulations and analysis of mechanical responses in the skull-brain complex in accident-like situations to study and assess SDH in the human head. A 3D finite element model of the human head was prepared by reconstructing CT images, and subsequently simulated at real life impact situations using explicit finite element codes. The Green-Lagrangian strain in bridging veins has been computed by post-processing finite element results for every possible orientation and position of bridging veins. It has been observed that occipital (back) impact is most likely to cause SDH, and that vein length plays the predominant role over vein angle in inducing strain. The possibility of vein rupture increases with head size.
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