Deformation of skull bone as intracranial pressure changing

Abstract

Raised intracranial pressure (ICP), a serious and often fatal condition, is often not preventable. In the present study, the relationship was determined between cranial deformation and ICP change. To record
the deformation of skull bone, strain foil was placed on the exterior surface of parietal skull. Prior to construction of finite-element model (FEM), using the rats, an in vivo study was undertaken. Three
anesthetized adult rats were subjected to baseline recording followed by either experimental raising ICP. By using the ‘Ansys’ finite element processor, a three-dimensional FEM of a hollow sphere was
constructed for human skull. The model was used to calculate the deformation of human skull with the intracranial pressure changing. The skull is a layered sphere constructed in a specially designed form
with a Tabula externa, Tabula interna, and a porous Diploe sandwiched in between. The stress and strain deformations were well-proportional on the exterior surface of human skull. The deformation scope of human skull was theoretically from 1.0 to 3.4 with the changing ICP from 1.5 to 5.0 kPa. The cranium could move and human skull - dura mater system was deformed as the ICP fluctuates.