An image based approach for in vivo evaluation of the brain-skull relative displacement and brain deformation in quasi-static conditions

The cerebral contusion lesion is still most obscure in terms of its mechanical pathogenesis in spite of its frequent occurrence (76% of all severe bicycle related head injuries) [1, 2]. Most contusions occur in the frontal and temporal lobes. Clearly, their pathogenesis is closely linked to a better understanding of the relative brain-skull movement. While some progress in the understanding of the mechanism of contusion occurrence was achieved [3, 4, 5, 6], further investigations are still necessary. The most appropriate way to observe the skull-brain relative displacement in vivo is through a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) study on human volunteers. Therefore, an MRI study in quasi-static conditions was undertaken. The study assumed complete MRI scanning of the head of each subject in four different positions: prone, supine, left lateral, and right lateral. By using image processing and 3D models registration a comparison between the different positions can be obtained. Preliminary results show that the maximum amplitude in brain movement is achieved at the inferior surface of the frontal lobes with a maximum amplitude of 9mm.

ISBN:978-3-642-03897-6

Publication year:2009

BOF-keylabel:yes

IOF-keylabel:yes

Authors from:Higher Education